Sanders Sides One-shots
by Starry-eyed Creator
Summary: A collection of Sanders Sides one-shots, because I'm trash. All pairings included, romantic and platonic. (Logicality, Prinxiety, Moxiety, Logince, Analogical, Royality, LAMP, CALM, Polysanders) Feel free to leave requests. Disclaimer: I do not own the Sanders Sides, and I will tell if the idea of the chapter if it isn't my own idea.
1. 1 Logicality (Date Night)

**1\. Logicality (Date Night)**

 **Hello, people who are reading this. I've recently began watching Thomas Sanders's video, namely the Sander Sides. I fell in love with the series, channel and him (he's an angel). I'm desperate for new fanfics, so I'm writing my own.**

 **My work is also on Wattpad (@ForevaFranticFangirl). Found this prompt on Pinterest.** **/pin/593841900838397788/?source_app=android**

 **This is a romantic pairing. Enjoy!**

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 _He should have been here 50 minutes ago._

Patton checked his watch for what must have been the millionth time that night. **17:50.** Tonight was supposed to be the perfect casual date with his boyfriend, Damien. They planned this date two weeks ago.

'They' being Patton trying to reconnect with his lover. The two had grown apart dramatically the last few weeks, but Patton wasn't going to give up the relationship so easily. Relationships were hard work, but if both parties were willing to put in some effort, the rewards were worth it. Too bad their romance was one-sided.

 _Where is he?_

Patton picked up his phone again and sent out another text.

 **Damien, where are you? I'm not mad, but you were supposed to meet me at the restaurant. Date night, remember? Please call me**!

The previous 8 messages and 5 calls were received, but still unanswered.

He picked up his glass of water and took a big gulp, his adam's apple bobbing. After setting it back down on the placemat, he tapped nervously on his knee with his finger.

The tension in the air was so strong, it could have been cut with one of the chef's knives. It felt as if the whole room knew of his situation- that he had been stood up by none other than his boyfriend. They kept stealing glances at him, before leaning over and whispering in their partner's ear. The elderly couple across him were regularly giving him sympathetic looks, as if they wished they could change the situation, mend his hurting heart.

The waitress- Helena, he discovered, quickly sweeping over the nametag pinned to her chest- came over again. Her strides were fast, her movements short and irritable. She kept tapping her ballpoint pen against the little notebook in her hand, and swiping at the strands of her short, brown hair. She was getting quite impatient.

"Are you ready to order your meal _now,_ sir?" She asked, placing emphasis on the _now._ Her jaw was slightly clenched, her eyes a bit squinted. She was trying, and failing, to stay polite.

"I just need a few more minutes, please," Patton answered, giving the stout woman a little smile.

Helena gave a sniff and a forced, "Sure", before stomping away.

 _I can't do this anymore._

Patton gave a long sigh and picked up his cellphone again. **18:25.** Swiping at the screen, he typed:

 **You know what? Forget it. I've been waiting 85 minutes for you. I tried to make the relationship work. I even planned this date. There was going to be a suprise at the end- for you! But this clearly not working. I think we need to take break.**

His thumb wavered above the send button for about two seconds, then crashed down onto the icon.

 _I shouldn't feel guilty. He's the one standing me up, ignoring me, pushing me away. This is **not** my fault._

What was done, was done. Patton didn't feel like sitting around anymore. Just when he was about to call the waitress for the bill, a man rushed over to his table and plopped down on the seat across him.

He looked around Patton's age, with neatly combed brown hair and big, dark brown eyes framed by sleek black glasses. His glasses held a resemblance to his, but we're a little more slim. He wore a tidy outfit- a black, short sleeved button up shirt and long, khaki trousers. A striped blue necktie hung around his throat. He had a dignified, business-like aura around him. His look just screamed intelligence. All and all, his was handsome.

The stranger seated across Patton exclaimed quite loudly, "I'm so sorry I'm late, sweetheart. I had to stay later than normal, and the traffic was just disastrous."

The man leaned forward and added quietly, "My name is Logan. Just follow my lead. I will explain afterwards."

Patton swallowed and plastered a smile on his face. He greeted the man- Logan- and engaged in some light-hearted, causal chatter. Helena, the now cheerful waitress, bounced up to their table. Patton was about to interject, saying he didn't want anything, when his stomach gave loud rumble.

 _Gosh, that's embarrassing._

Logan's lips twitched and he said in a amused tone, "I think I have kept my partner waiting long enough." He then proceeded to order for them both, after asking Patton what he wanted. The waitress bounded away to place their order.

Logan turned his head back to Patton. "I promised you a explanation," he said, re-adjusting his glasses.

Patton nodded.

"I noticed when I walked in that you were anxious, sitting alone at a table for two. You kept looking at your phone and glancing at your watch. I am correct in assuming your date didn't show up?"

Patton lowered his gaze to his empty glass. "Yeah, my boyfriend didn't show. We've been in a rough patch lately. I guess he got bored with me. He read my texts, but didn't answer." His heart felt heavy as he looked up at the man across him.

Logan's brows were furrowed together. "I may not know you all that well, but I can already tell that you are an extraordinary person. If he can not see that, he doesn't possess a damsel of intelligence."

Patton felt warmth spread through his chest at the man's words.

"Thanks. For everything you've done. I'm Patton, by the way."

"It is my absolute pleasure, Patton. I think that even though tonight didn't start as you hoped, we can still make it memorable."

The two men continued to talk through the night. They learned more about another every minute, and joked as they ate their delicious meal. Far too soon, the restaurant was closing up.

Patton took out his wallet to pay for the bill, but Logan stopped him with a look, and placed his hand on Patton's.

"I'm paying."

"But that's not fair, I-"

"You provided me a delightful evening with joyfully banter- and your presence." Logan peered over his glasses.

Patton fiddled with the sleeves of the cardigan tied around his shoulders. "If you insist."

Logan pulled out a wad of notes and paid for the expenses. The pair exited the restaurant, side by side, and walked down the steps.

Patton looked at the second man beside him.

"Thank you again, Logan. I had a wonderful time."

Logan smiled at him. "I did as well." He suddenly looked on edge, his eyes darting to the side before coming to rest on Patton's face again.

"I suppose it wouldn't be such a absurd idea to request your company again?"

"Logan, are you asking me on a date?"

"I-Yes. Yes, I am."

Patton beamed up at the other man. "I would love to. And I'm getting the bill next time."

Logan's lips turned upwards. "Deal."

The couple exchanged numbers and Patton planted a kiss on the other's cheek.

"I'll see you around." He did a little wave and walked in the direction of his flat.

 _Damien who?_

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 **Wow, a total of 1173 words (excluding author's notes). That's a lot for a new author. I hope you liked it. Feel free to leave a comment.** **Until next time, take it easy guys, gals and non-binary pals!**

 **Peace out!**


	2. 2 Prinxiety (Bloody Mornings)

**2\. Prinxiety (Bloody Mornings)**

 **How could I not? It's perfect. This is gonna be a romantic pairing. I might alter how they look, so don't freak out if my characters don't fit your description.**

 **Found this prompt on Pinterest. /pin/593841900839142671/?source_app=android**

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 _Wonderful. Just bloody wonderful. I love my life._

As always, Virgil was not enthusiastic to go to work today. Could you really blame him?

Today was Monday, the most unlucky, the most dreadful, the most horrible day of the week. The day that could make clouds cry storms of tears over the countless buildings, the day that could make the most cheerful child wake up sullen and anxious. The day that people wished they could avoid.

And it was _early morning_. Who wants to wake up at an ungodly hour, get out of the cosy, _warm_ bed, just to go suffer at work?

Nobody.

No-one wants to work with idiotic humans, who give the most complicated damn orders and expect it to be flawless.

But, alas, Virgil didn't have much of a choice in the matter.

After punching his snooze button, he dragged his body out of comforting fortress of blankets and pillows. After staring blankly at the dark purple wall for a few minutes, he continued his morning routine.

Get dressed, do hair, apply eyeliner and eyeshadow, eat breakfast, brush teeth. It was the same old routine he did every morning, every day, every week.

He grabbed his phone from where it was laying on the kitchen counter and plucked the keys from the little hanger next to the front door. He stepped outside and inhaled a big breath of the crisp, chilly air. It always managed to clear his reeling mind.

He turned back around and locked the door behind him. It closed with a soft click. Virgil plopped in his earbuds and listened to _My Chemical Romance- The Sharpest Lives_ , while he ventured the short distance to the coffee shop on the corner, where he worked.

Sanders's Coffee Shop had a cheerful, busy, and bright atmosphere to it, so it wasn't exactly where Virgil felt completely comfortable. And to add to that, he had to socialize with other people a lot. You could say that it wasn't exactly his cup of tea, or more accurately, coffee.The only upside was that he didn't have to wear a uniform or anything.

He swung the café's door open with a loud bang. Slouching and groaning every 10 seconds, Virgil continued to get the café ready for the early morning rush. The coffee shop had its regulars who came in frequently, and the people that just liked to pop in every now and again.

Virgil was just about to sit down, when the familiar chime of the bell above the door tingled, signaling that a customer had arrived.

 _Aggggg, really? Whatever, as long as it isn't-_

It was.

 _The universe hates me._

Stepping through the doorway, was one of the regular customers. The most regular actually.

The tall man had dark brown hair with highlights that had been dyed a plum colour. He had rather muscular build, but still stayed lean. A few strands of his fringe fell slightly into his striking blue eyes, which twinkled on his handsome face. He had a proud nose and a razorsharp jawline. Plump lips twitched upward.

This man was clothed in fashionable causual attire- light blue jeans, a white button up shirt, red and white sneakers and a ruby red jacket slung over his shoulders. A silver ring gleamed on his finger.

"Greetings, my chemically imbalanced romance," the man exclaimed, walking over to the counter, his head held high and looked pointedly at Virgil's My Chemical Romance band t-shirt.

Virgil continued to stare at him blankly, not saying anything. Every time this man, _Roman,_ Virgil recalls, comes to the coffee shop, he has a new nickname to greet him by. Virgil has just resulted to calling him Princey, since it seemed to fit his personality and name so well.

Roman Prince was a charmer, a flirt with a tad of arrogance that could be to much at times. He seemed to very confident in himself and his abilities, if his actions and words were anything to go by.

Virgil could see why- he clearly pocessed a talent and passion for acting and for theatre. Virgil had not seen Roman in action yet, but people seemed to be smitten with him and his performances. His name continued to pop up everywhere.

 _ **Roman Prince, casted as the lead role in -insert some cheesy musical-.**_

 _ **Interview with theatre sensation, Roman Prince!**_

 _ **Roman Prince gives us an insight on the new performance!**_

 _Roman Prince this, Roman Prince that. He must have some singing voice if people love him so much._

Virgil's mouth tips turned downward as he stared at the being before him. Although he knew who he was and what the actor wanted to have, he still asked:

"Order? And your name." This might have been slightly rude, but Virgil not in the mood to be polite and it was amusing to see his flicker of annoyance.

Roman heaved a long, dramatic sigh and ran a hand through his hair. "I would have think you would have learned my name by now- It's Roman."

He started to explain his extravagant, complicated order to Virgil, who could hardly remember anything, but still nodded his head in a manner that resembled a bobblehead, faking that he understood perfectly.

 _Seriously? Why does he have to make it so complicated? I am honestly going to murder someone today._

When the actor finally finished, Virgil turned his back to him and got to work. Roman sank down on a nearby chair and hummed a melody that was unfamiliar to Virgil, while he stared out the floor to ceiling windows into nothingness.

After a few minutes, in which Virgil tried, and failed, to recreate the other man's impossible order, he grabbed the styrofoam cups and snatched the black marker on top of the marble counter.

Maybe it was a little petty, but Virgil always spelled Roman's name wrong. It was amusing to watch the flicker of irritation that flashed on his face. He just wrote Ramen most of the time, but today he was feeling a little more... creative.

He hastily scribbled the letters on the side of the cup, and announced to the nearly empty room that he was finished.

"Princey, your coffee's ready!"

"Great!" The fashionably dressed man jumped of his seat and strode over to Virgil. "I better get a pic of this for my wonderful followers. I mean, if you don't post it, did it even happen?"

Fighting the urge to smirk, Virgil walked around the counter and handed the cup over to his waiting hand. Roman gave him a large smile and positioned his phone at the right angle, snapping a picture. He glanced at his photograph and narrowed his eyes.

"Why in Hades name did you write Beef on my cup?" He drawled, standing up straighter.

"Oops," Virgil said, trying to look innocent. "I guess I wasn't thinking straight- ever. I'm not straight."

Virgil shrugged and pushed his hands into his black and purple hoodie's pockets, trying to stay neutral. Virgil didn't know if he was a homophobic or not.

Roman's gaze softened and this mouth twitched upward. "Well, there's one thing we have in common- we're both as straight as a multicoloured rainbow."

Relief, amusement and a bit of what must have felt like glee spread through Virgil.

 _I'm just happy that he won't judge me right? It's couldn't be something else._

Virgil looked up at the taller man and have a nod. "Guess we're both in the same boat here."

Roman have him a lopsided grin and tried subtly to tell him that he didn't have to leave right away. "Well, I don't really have to go right now. I might as well stay and chat. Here, with you." Subtlety was not his strong point.

Virgil shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Yeah, sure. Okay."

"Excellent!" Roman leaned against the counter.

The room was filled with silence that was not at all comfortable. Roman was staring at Virgil. Virgil was staring at Roman. Neither of them knew what to say to the other. They didn't really know the other person, nor if they had similar interests.

Desperate to end the deafening silence, Virgil tried making some conversation. "So, uh, I heard you like theatre."

Roman's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree and his smile was so large, that Virgil was concerned that he might pull a muscle.

"I love theatre! The costumes, the props, the songs make you feel like an actual prince .

How can I not admire the thrill that you get when the curtains of the stage rise. The feeling of knowing that every person in the room is looking at you, giving you all their undivided attention.

Hoping that, maybe, just maybe, you might inspire someone. That you made their day brighter. That you have an impact on others...That you matter. "

Roman had a blurry, far-off look in this eyes, like he saw a tropical paradise in the distance, like he forgot that he was in a little coffee shop with another person. Virgil thought that he was rather cute when he got excited.

 _Cute? No, I just meant that objectively. I'm not attracted to him or anything._

Virgil tried to tell himself this, but he couldn't deny that every time Princey stepped through the door, his heart gave a flutter. Or that standing so close to him, made Virgil's cheeks redden, aware of every little aspect of himself. His blood was pumping steadily through his veins.

He made the mistake of glancing down towards Roman's lips. They were quite close, too close, to his own. The two men had moved closer to each other, unaware of them even doing so.

Roman had finished his speech and his gaze had traveled to the other's lips as well. Their faces were mere inches away. Their breathing was synchronised and mingled together.

Roman dipped his head down and captured the pair of pale lips with his own in a soft, gentle kiss.

Virgil leaned into the touch and tangled his fingers in Roman's soft hair. He felt his knees go weak when Roman placed his hand on Virgil's jaw, and traced his cheek with his thumb.

Roman pulled away slightly after a while, so they could catch their breath. Virgil's cheeks were tinted pink. He found this extremely adorable.

"Well, as much as I would love to stay here all day, I must be going now if I want to be in time for rehearsal." He flashed him a grin and reached over the counter next to him.

He grabbed one of the little scraps of paper, and scribbled his details down. Shoving the note at Virgil, Roman pecked him on the lips.

"Call me." He gave him a little wink before strutting out the café.

Virgil couldn't help but smile a big, cheesy, grin when he thought of his annoying, charming prince.

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 **1819** **words (excluding AN). Feel free to drop a comment. Until next time, take it easy guys, gals and non-binary pals. Peace out!**


	3. 3 Polysanders (Wings AU)

**3\. Polysanders (Wings AU)**

 **Hello, it's me! My irl friend inspired me.** **In this AU, everyone has wings (that kind of reflect their personalities). It's** **platonic.**

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Virgil glared at the framed mirror that hung on his painted black wall. It wasn't that his eyeshadow was a tad smudged, or that his hair wouldn't cooperate- some things that would usually bother him.

No, his seeing gaze was pointed at the pair of midnight wings that erupted from his upper back.

Virgil hated his wings. They weren't at all as breathtaking like the others' pairs.

Patton's were a soft blue at the top, getting lighter as you looked down, till they reached a light grey then white at the tips. His wings were big and the feathers were soft and fluffy.

Perfect for a sweet, emotional, cheerful person with a lot love to give. People with this type of wings used them to embrace their loved ones.

Logan's wings were sleek and dark blue. The feathers were large and sharp. The bigger the feathers, the wiser the person.

Suitable for a serious, intelligent person who preferred to think with their head instead of with their heart.

And last, but not least, was Roman. To say his pair of wings stood out in a crowd was an understatement. It was hard to know what exactly attracted other people's attention to his wings.

It could have been the royal red colour of every first row of feathers, or maybe it was the sun glinting off the golden parts of his peacock-like wings. It could have been that the contrasting colours were gorgeous, and Roman knew this. He paraded his pair like a king with a crown on his head. His charming, slightly arrogant, personality and his wings were one and the same.

Together, they formed Thomas.

Virgil wished his were as interesting, as marvelous as theirs. But when he looked at his reflection, he didn't like what he saw.

His wings were just plain old black. Not to mention that they were "injured", damaged, meaning they were weak and the feathers were slowly falling out.

A ghastly, unpleasant side affect of neglecting oneself. It made no difference whether physical, emotional or mentally. If you didn't take care of yourself, there would be consequences. Your happiness was fundamental.

Virgil knew this, but couldn't bring himself to really care. He always hid his wings in other people's presence, folding them under his oversized hoodie. He didn't want the others to be concerned.

 _I'm just here. I'm not really important. Just a thorn in everyone's side. They don't care for me. I'm useless. I'm miserable. Why else would my wings look like this?_

Tearing his gaze away from the reflecting glass, he walked over to his stereo and turned the volume up.

Most of the time Virgil would listen to music with his headphones on, merely for the fact that they were comfortable and that nearby listening people couldn't judge his music taste, but today was different. The other Sides were out of their rooms, helping Thomas with whatever crisis he was having now.

Virgil should probably have joined them, but he felt that he wasn't really needed. They would get along just fine without him. At least that was how they acted. They have gotten on fine without him before.

Virgil gave a big stretch, expanding his wings to their full length. The tiny, black claw could be seen at the tip of his wing.

He flopped down onto his bed, cringing at the pain that flared through his body from the sudden pressure on his wings. Virgil rested his head on a purple pillow, his wings outstretched, and listened to the melody playing.

 _ **Now, come one, come all to this tragic affair.**_ _ **Wipe off that makeup, what's in is despair.**_ _ **So throw on the black dress, mix in with the lot.** _

_**You might wake up and notice you're someone you're not.**_

 _So, I have to put on facade, change myself to truly fit in with the Sides?_

Virgil mused this. They surely didn't like it when he said what was on his mind. He was too negative for them. He was too like himself.

 _ **If you look in the mirror and don't like what you see.**_

Virgil snorted at this.

 _ **You can find out firsthand what it's like to be me.**_ _ **So gather 'round piggies and kiss this goodbye**_

 _ **I'd encourage your smiles, I'll expect you won't cry.**_

 _Fake a smile. Hide your pain, your tears. You have to stay strong. Not for your sake, but for others'._

Listening to his favourite songs, finding meaning in the lyrics always gave him a urge to sketch. Sitting upright, he grabbed the black bound notebook and a pencil from his bedside table.

The pencil glided over the snowy white paper like an graceful dancer. With each leap and twirl, the swirls and light traced lines began to form a image.

Virgil, huddled in a ball, surrounded by a crushing, ominous darkness. His wings were so battered that it was hard to see he had wings at all. He was alone and scared and depressed.

Virgil was so absorbed in the enticing guitar solos and his drawing, that he didn't hear the knocks on his wooden door, nor the sound of it slowly opening.

Roman's head peeked out from around the door. He was about to call out to him when his eyes landed on Virgil's outstretched black, battered wings.

His eyes widened. He didn't know about this- he would never have let it happen. A prince was supposed to protect his people from those who could hurt them.

But how do you save a person, when those who are hurting him...is himself?

Roman softly shut the door. He felt waves of guilt flow through him as he walked back down the hallway, his thudding footsteps beating along with his heart.

Maybe if I hadn't teased him as much. If I had made an effort to make him feel accepted, get to know him better...maybe, maybe.

He sank out and appeared back in Thomas's living room. The other three turned to look at him expectantly.

"Hey, Roman, where's Virgil? I thought you went to call him?" Thomas inquired.

"Yes. That was the objective of your errand, was it not?" Logan readjusted his glasses.

"Did you know?" Roman deadpanned, not looking them in the eyes. His shoulders were slouched, his head bent.

"Kiddo, what are you talking about?" Patton peered curiously over his framed glasses. This was very uncharacteristic of him.

"Virgil, h-his wings-", Roman took a shaky breath. "I saw them. They were so damaged. The wings were drooping, the feather falling out It's so bad, and we, I, never even knew."

Patton's eyes were glassy, his arms hugging his torso, like he was trying to hold all his emotions inside. His usually lively face was was as white as a sheet.

Logan was frowning deeply, concern evident over his face, sadness pooling from his eyes.

Thomas was mostly just confused. He could tell this was a bad thing, but he didn't know why. "I get this is a horrible thing, but why exactly? What's wrong with Virgil?"

"When a person is not looking after themselves in a befitting manner, it causes said person's pair of wings to become mutilated, mangled." Logan explained, arms folded over his chest. The apprehensive look had still not left his features.

"This has numerous appalling consequences on said person, because our wings manifest our very existence, our own entity. Without them, we would feel insubstantial, incomplete. We would just be a shadow of our previous self. In other words, we would have constant melancholic emotions."

"Wow," Thomas breathed. "Poor Virgil. No wonder I've been experiencing more angst than usual."

"M-my poor son," Patton sniffed. "He should've told us. We would have helped him."

"Doesn't he trust us?" Thomas was upset that Virgil had been suffering alone for who knows how long.

"I wish I could say Virgil trusted us completely," Roman sighed and ran a hand through his plum hair. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but... I may have been... wrong. I shouldn't have acted so negatively towards him."

Logan spoke up, "We understand why, Roman. You and Virgil are relatively different individuals. It was inevitable that the two of you would contradict each other at some point in your lives."

"Yeah, kiddo. Neither one of us even realised what was happening with Virgil." Patton rubbed the lenses of his glasses clean with a sleeve of the grey cardigan tied around his shoulders. "I think we should go and comfort him."

"Do you think he'll open up to us?" Thomas asked, thinking of his anxious side.

Roman straightened his posture. "I hope so." He dusted his clothes off. "Only one way to find out."

The three sides sunk out in their normal fashion, Thomas emitting a oof from the unfamiliarity.

"Oh, I'm going with you. Yeah okay. "

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The foursome stood inside Virgil's room. They had meant to appear outside and knock on the door, but fate had decided differently.

"Oh, sh-"

"Roman!" Patton exclaimed.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Virgil sprang up from the bed and dashed to the closet for his hoodie. They couldn't see his wings.

"What. Are. You. Doing. In. My. Room?!" He hissed, clutching his hoodie in his fists. He hastily folded his wings.

"Salutations, Virgil. Apologies for barging into your room at this hour, but we have pressing matters to converse." Logan calmly resolved.

Patton took a step closer. "Virge, why didn't you tell us? We would have helped you." His voice was laced with pain.

"What are you talking about?" Virgil's mouth was dry.

 _Please tell me they're talking about the fanfics I read or the music I listen to, not my wings. Anything but my wings._

Noticing Virgil's agitated state, Roman came clean. "I'm sorry, Virgil. I told them what I saw- about your wings."

Virgil's heart was beating so hard, he thought it would escape its boney cage. That was all what ribs were- a protective cage to entrap your heart, shield it from the person that would rip it to shreds, step on it. Virgil felt that his ribcage was not doing what it was supposed to.

 _No. Nononononono, please no_.

"I came to your room to tell you we needed your help, but you didn't hear me knock. I decided to let myself in and I saw you sitting on your bed." Roman struggled to keep his voice even.

"I saw your wings. I know that you are literally anxiety, b-but," Roman's voice cracked. "Are you really that miserable?" Two single lines of tears ran down his cheeks.

Patton was unashamedly crying, flowing rivers of tears, his face wet and blotchy. He wasn't one to hate, but he loathed other people being in pain- the feeling multiplied when it came to his loved ones.

Logan's hands were clenched at his sides in an effort not to cry, but his eyes were blurry. He didn't know how to deal with all these emotions. Feelings were the bane of his existence.

Virgil had his left arm curled around his stomach, his right hand covering his mouth. The black and purple hoodie laid discarded on the carpet floor. His head was pointed downwards, slightly tilted to the side. His hair fell onto his eyes from his haunched posture. It was easy to conclude from his shaking shoulders and the soft, muffled sobs erupting from his throat that he, too, was crying.

Thomas was fulled with a whirlwind of emotions. He could sense every side's feelings swirling inside him. It was enough to make him feel dizzy.

"Virgil, I-I don't know what- who... d-did," Logan tried asking. This was one time anyone knew of that he couldn't find the right words.

Thomas seized the opportunity to speak. "Virgil, we are so, so sorry. If we knew how you were feeling, we would have helped you. Virgil we care about you."

Virgil looked up and swiped at the tears that formed in his eyes. "You-you do?"

Patton practically leaped across the room to crush Virgil in a loving embrace. "Of course we care, Virgil. You're one of us. We love you."

Virgil let out a loud breath. He buried his face in Patton's shoulder, trying to regain control of his emotions.

Roman had walked over to Virgil's right side, wrapping both of them in a hug. "Not to worry, beloved emo nightmare. You will never be alone again."

Logan had followed suite and joined them. "For the record, I, too, care for you, Virgil."

Thomas had came to stand behind Virgil, also participating in the group hug. Everyone huddled around him, their wings forming a protective circle.

"You're family, Virge. Ohana means family. Family means no-one gets left behind, of forgotten, " Thomas quoted.

Virgil let out a guffaw. "You did not just quote Lilo and Stitch."

Thomas smiled a crooked grin, his rainbow coloured wings flapping. Roman poked him in the side. "You know you want to quote them too. Come on, Virge."

Virgil scoffed, but did as requested. "This is my family. I found it all on my own. It's little, and broken, but still good. Yeah, still good."

The quintet were silent for a sum of three seconds, before they burst into peels of laughter. The group wiped their damp eyes dry.

"You know, I'm in the mood for Disney movies." Patton stated aloud.

"Let me guess- Lilo and Stitch?" Roman teased.

"Why not," Virgil shrugged.

"Great! I'll get my cat onsie on and make the popcorn," Patton smiled.

Logan groaned. "Patton, the last time you made popcorn, it was a catastrophe."

He had not realised he made a pun, until the group chuckled at Patton gloating that he had made a dad joke. Logan let out a irritable sigh.

The group shuffled out of his room. Virgil lingered in front of the framed mirror that hung on his painted black wall. He looked at his wings, but not with distaste.

They looked different now. They were still as black as the starry night sky, but their was something more. A faint purple glow radiated from the pointed feathers. His wings were still drooping slightly, the feathers a tad ruffled.

He may have been stressed and depressed, but he was trying his best. These kinds of things didn't just disappear. He was going to take it one day at a time. Only now, he had the support of his friends. His family.

"Virgil, you okay?" Patton called out to him.

The group stood at the door, waiting for him.

Virgil smiled. A big, genuine smile. "Never better."

And together, they exited the room.

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 **Wow, 2442 words (excluding AN's). New record. I'm happy with how it came out. Next one is Moxiety. Take it easy guys, gals and non-binary pals. Peace out!**


	4. 4 Moxiety (Nightmare)

**4.MOXIETY (NIGHTMARE)**

 **Completely original. This is mostly platonic, but can be seen as romantic if you want.** **I suggest you listen to _Control_ by Halsey while reading this, it helps with the creepy effect.**

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Virgil was tossing and turning, numerous beads of sweat forming on his forehead, wetting his wrinkled purple pillow. His eyes were squeezed shut, his mouth forming a unpleasant grimace. He was clenching his jaw, his rows of teeth grounding against one another. His breath was shallow and forced. An occasional, pitiful whimper would emit from his wobbling pale lips.

Virgil was having another nightmare. It was a regular occurrence, but the other sides didn't know this.

Virgil was much too private, too secretive and prideful, like any other person, to tell anyone that he woke up screaming, crying every night.

Virgil's chuckles were chalky white from clutching his heavy, black duvet in his fists. His sleepwear was drenched in bodily liquid, clinging to his skin like thriving moss to a damp wall. The duvet twisted around his scrawny frame, curling around his person like a serpent squeezing their squirming prey.

His dreams, or rather nightmares, were plagued by cruel, viscous demons- creatures of the empty, black abyss that made his skin crawl. These beasts, formed in the raging flames of Hell, would slither out of the murky depths to stalk his thoughts, his emotions.

They were always lurking in ominous shadows, infecting his line of thought and his actions. Virgil could constantly feel their gruesome claws digging into his flesh, their foul breaths beating on the back of his neck. Their croaking, callous voices would whisper mockingly in his ear, evoking various things he wish he didn't have.

Virgil never knew how to really deal with his insecurities, his fears nor his anxiety. Heck, he was Anxiety. So he just bottled them up, sometimes writing what he was feeling down in his journal.

The black leather bound pages were a comfort- he would pour his emotions into the paper

through a blue ballpoint pen. The journal was a exceptional listener, helping him deal with his never ending demons- maybe because it didn't possess the ability to talk back. Nevertheless it proved a trusted friend of sorts.

A pained cry rung through the air, usually undetectable to everyone; audible enough to wake a light sleeper, if close enough. Virgil would normally put a silencing spell, using his magic, around his room every night. It allowed him to play any music he chose to assist him in falling asleep during nightfall, without bothering the others. All of them could do this, but he was the one that had reason to.

In Virgil's distressed, fatigued state it did not cross his mind to preform the essential habit. Thomas had a lot on his plate recently, which meant more stress and work for Virgil. _Yay!_

He had come from discussing the situation with the rest of the group in Thomas's living room, slamming his bedroom door shut and locking it after he reappeared. They could not agree on what solution they should take- everyone had a different view.

Frustrated, Roman had taken to playing the blame game. He accused Virgil of being the reason for all their problems. What vexed Virgil was, yes, that Princey - and the others- didn't trust him, or even really like him.

Every time he showed up there was a chorus of "Anxiety, what are you doing here?" as if they were surprised he wanted to help. Sure he had a different way of doing it, but he never wanted Thomas to be unhappy.

He thought things had changed when they had come to his room, asking him to return after he ducked out once. He hadn't planned on going back, but they had acted sincere, giving a whole speech on how valuable he was.

He opened up to them, going as far as to tell them his real name. No longer was he _Anxiety,_ the brooding outsider.

Now he was _Virgil,_ the emo best friend. Things were great, for a while; eventually life went back to how it was before.

As if the constant reminder that he wasn't truly accepted wasn't bad enough, the words directed towards him played over and over in his mind.

What was the worst was that, to an extent, the things said about him were true.

Virgil was the source of Thomas's angst, his nervousness and what made him cautious. Yes, he could influence Thomas's thinking negatively, but surely he wasn't all bad.

At least _he_ didn't think so.

A toe-curling scream sprung from Virgil's throat. As if sensing his inner pain, clouds of sinister black smoke coiled in and around the darkened room.

It's was more than enough to wake the onesie-wearing father figure in the neighbouring room.

Patton snatched his glasses from where it stood on his white bedside table. Pushing it crookedly onto his face, he dashed out of his room to the source of the screams.

It seemed that Patton and Virgil were the only ones who didn't put up a silencing spell. Both Roman and Logan had an enchantment to prevent sound from entering or leaving their rooms.

With a mind of its own, just like the smoke, music notes started to slowly drift through the air.

 ** _They send me away to find them a fortune,_** ** _A chest filled with diamonds and gold._**

Rushing towards the black wooden door, Patton pounded on it, not wanting to intrude on Virgil's privacy, but noting the urgency.

 ** _The house was awake, the shadows and monsters._** ** _The hallways, they echoed and groaned._**

"Virgil?" Patton called out. The wind howled, shaking the branches of trees in the backyard. The ticking of a clock accompanied the soft notes of a piano.

They didn't have a piano.

 ** _I sat alone in bed till the morning, I'm crying, "They're coming for me."_** ** _And I tried to hold these secrets inside me,_** ** _My mind's like a deadly disease_**.

"NONO, NO PLEASE! I- NO- I'M SORRY! PLEASE DON'T, NO! NO! NOT THEM- PLEASE! NO, ME!" Sobs were shaking Virgil's chest, vibrating through the walls.

"Virgil!" Patton tried opening the door, only managing to jingle the doorknob. _"Virgil must have locked it,"_ he thought frustrated. How was he going to get through to him?

 ** _I'm bigger than my body,_** ** _I'm colder than this home,_** ** _I'm meaner than my demons,_** ** _I'm bigger than these bones_**.

Patton covered his face with his hands, debating on what to do. He could see a lone streetlight flickering through the window, before eventually fizzing out. An idea blinked into his mind.

 ** _And all the kids cried out, "Please stop, you're scaring me. "_** ** _I can't help this awful energy_**.

Patton rushed back into his room, closing his eyes and focusing his powers. He could feel his blood pumping through his veins.

 ** _God damn right, you should be scared of me._** ** _Who is in control?_**

The Sides' rooms were customised to materialise whatever they desired. So why not wish for a key to unlock Virgil's door?

 ** _I paced around for hours on empty,_** ** _I jumped at the slightest of sounds_**.

With a burst of dim light, a silver key materialised in the air, falling into Patton's open palm.

 ** _And I couldn't stand the person inside me,_** ** _I turned all the mirrors around._**

Patton rushed back to the room opposite his, shivering because of the sudden drop in temperature.

 ** _I'm bigger than my body._** ** _I'm colder than this home._**

He ran his hands up and down his arms, trying to block the unusual draft from biting at his skin.

 ** _I'm meaner than my demons._** ** _I'm bigger than these bones._**

The pale moonlight reflected off the shiny, silvery key between Patton's fingers.

 ** _And all the kids cried out, "Please stop, you're scaring me."_** ** _I can't help this awful energy._**

He shoved the gleaming key into the lock, fumbling slightly, before turning it anticlockwise.

 ** _God damn right, you should be scared of me._**

It opened with a quiet click.

 ** _Who is in control?_**

Patton stormed through the doorway, hurrying over to the Queen-sized bed on which Virgil laid.

 ** _I'm well acquainted with villains that live in my head._**

Virgil had rivers of tears streaming down his blotchy cheeks, his eyes closed. His chest heaved with every strained breath.

Patton could make out a few phrases that Virgil was muttering under his breathy gasps.

"No, don't... they... friends... innocent... I'm...hurt me ... leave... demon... "

 ** _They beg me to write them so they'll never die when I'm dead._**

Patton placed his right hand on Virgil's left shoulder, his other wiping Virgil's cheeks.

 ** _And I've grown familiar with villains that live in my head._**

"Virgil, wake up. It's okay, you're okay," Patton soothed. Virgil's eyes flew open, his body tensed, clearly startled.

 ** _They beg me to write them so I'll never die when I'm dead._**

"Patton?" Virgil's voice was a mix of surprise, relief and embarrassment.

"Virgil, hey. I heard you having a nightmare. Are you okay?" He ran his fingers through his strands of hair.

 ** _I'm bigger than my body_** ** _I'm colder than this home_**

"No, of course not," Virgil sniffed.

 ** _I'm meaner than my demons_** ** _I'm bigger than these bones_**

Patton peered over his glasses. "Virge, does this happen often," he prompted gently.

 ** _And all the kids cried out, "Please stop, you're scaring me."_**

"Well, I- yes," Virgil admitted softly. "Every night, always the same thing."

 ** _I can't help this awful energy._**

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, rather not. I- Patton would you- do you mind if-"

 ** _God damn right, you should be scared of me_**

"Do you want me to stay with you?"

"Please."

 ** _Who is in control?_**

Virgil shuffled over, adjusting until both the duo were comfortable. It only took a few minutes for them to turn sleepy.

 ** _And all the kids cried out, "Please stop, you're scaring me."_**

"I'm glad my demons can't hurt you," Virgil mumbled into Patton's chest.

There was no reply.

Somehow sensing the newfound peace, the black clouds of smoke slowly retracted back into the air.

 ** _I can't help this awful energy._** ** _God damn right, you should be scared of me_**.

Virgil listening to Patton's heartbeat, Patton resting his head above Virgil's soft mop of hair, their arms curled around each other, they fell asleep.

 ** _Who is in control?_**

The clock struck one, the whistling of the breeze rustling the leaves and soft breathing the only things breaking the unsettling silence.

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 **Hey, long time no see! I finished this chapter with a total of 1717 words. How 'bout a comment, mmmhh? Even a smiley will be nice :)** **Till next time. Take it easy guys, gals and non-binary pals. Peace out!**


	5. 5 Logince (The Virus)

**5\. Logince (The Virus)**

 **In this AU, people can chose the trait they want. You'll learn more about this world about through the chapter.** **0 - 0 -0 - 0 -0 - 0 -0 - 0 -0 -0 - 0**

Logan Bellemore stared idly out the glass plane, his arms crossed behind his back. His gaze was thoughtful, the early morning sun dancing across his face. His neatly washed and pressed black suit provided an attractive contrast to his snowy white dress shirt. A dark blue tie adorned his throat. His dark eyes glinted with a calculating gleam, his long, sturdy fingers fiddling with the cuffs of his sleeves, an unintentional habit.

Logan was reflecting on this world, the happenings of the last few decades, the situations they, all people, were forced into. It had been like this as long as he could remember. How he envied the people in the tales he was told, of before everything had happened.

Back then, people had lived in functional cities with normal everyday lives. There was structure and order. Everyone had a place. There was still conflict and crime, but human beings aren't flawless. They will never be. Those people could trust others. They could make connections with people for the purpose of friendship, for... love. Not only because they had to, because they wanted to survive, live for one more day, one more week. They did it for their happiness.

Then the virus happened.

It unfolded so unexpectedly with so little idea on how to stop it. Humanity had never encountered something quite like this. Someone had dubbed it "The Virus" and the name had stuck.

No one knows how it originated. If it was man-made in a lab, a disease passed on from animals or came from some mutated bacteria. It crept into everyone so carefully, it wasn't noticed until it was too late. Way to late.

Everything stared slowly. Here and there people got what was assumed to be the common cold.

Nothing too serious to raise suspicion. A runny nose, a little cough, tiredness. Not so bad everyone couldn't continue to do what they normally did.

But more and more people were getting sick, and it wasn't just a cold anymore. It wasn't even considered one illness anymore, but several.

Every symptom you could possibly imagine was evolved into the extreme. A temperature so high, the person was roasted from the inside; coughing up about a quarter of the body's blood in one go; swelling in the throat, until the person choked to death; so fatigued, even moving the tiniest muscle seemed an insurmountable task.

The more people that got infected, the more the illnesses spread and worsened. There was hardly a person left who wasn't infected.

Before anyone could bat an eye, half of the world's population was wiped out. Everyone thought it was the end. This was how humanity was brought to it's knees- no big bang, no sun exploding, no raging fires, no cries of soldiers in war. Merely a sickness that got out of hand.

Then it stopped.

Those measly few who weren't infected could stop isolating themselves. The ones that managed to hold out for that long were cured overnight. No one could understand why or how, but we're eternally grateful. For a small while, everything seemed... peaceful?

The living mourned the dead, thinking of The Virus with hatred, but relieved that death didn't loom over them. They were forced to hunt for scraps of food or any other resources they needed to survive.

Earth was no longer it's beautiful thriving self- humanity wasn't the only one affected by The Virus. Thousands of once growing plants wilted, only the strongest living to taste the sunlight the next day. Without the necessary food and shelter, the number of animals decreased rapidly.

At first it was every man and woman for themselves, greedily hoarding whatever they could scrape together, but they soon realised this wasn't very effective. The people were in the motion of making plans when it happened.

A murder.

No one expected perfect harmony all the time, but the murder took them unexpectedly. Well, maybe it wasn't so unexpected.

Malcom Burney was a selfish, scrawny asshole who didn't care for others at all. How he managed to get a gun in his filthy hands, no one knew. All they found was Terence Bohannon, the slightly arrogant, but not all bad, bulky soldier with two bullets in his brain. It was easy to deduce that Malcom was the murderer. Even before he stated it to everyone.

Malcom came running around like madman the next morning, his brown hair flopping into his bloodshot eyes, waving his gun above his head. He kept yelling that he was a superhuman with extraordinary strength.

People thought Malcom snapped, lost all his marbles, until he loudly proclaimed that he had killed Terence Bohannon. When he did, he was enveloped in a big flash of blue light and he absorbed and multiplied Terence's strength tenfold.

To prove it, Malcom lifted up a nearby undriven van, the white paint faded, the structure creaking, and threw it a good 100 metres. The crowd was astonished, but mostly afraid, not liking the state of his mind.

Malcom turned around slowly, his big eyes full of his hunger for power and the craziness that consumed him. Malcom's body shook as he lifted his arms from his side, the gun pointed to the chest of Annabeth Cooper, a one prized athlete, who stood a distance away.

Ironic that a famous runner couldn't move fast enough.

The bullet hit her right in the chest and a bright light blue flash blinded them momentarily. With speed they didn't know he possessed, Malcom sprinted away, knowing the crowd wouldn't be happy that he killed their friend. Unfortunately for him, hoards surrounded him, blocking every exit. A few brave souls, maybe Annabeth's family, tackled Malcom from behind. He was killed by the same gun that he used to commit murder.

Desperate to protect themselves and their loved ones, groups of people came together into what was later know as gangs.

Each gang had their own area where they lived. Every area, or "territory", had their own system with different rules. You could say that every gang was a "city". The gangs had to grow their own crops and get their own resources. Who new toiletpaper was so important?

The biggest and best gangs had the best territory, with big, fertile grounds and the smoothly functioning facilities (the people had to sleep and practise hygiene somewhere).

Of course you couldn't just waltz in and become part of the gang. You had to complete the initiation ceremony. Each had their own tests and standards. When- If you joined a gang, you worked for them and lived under their protection.

Those who didn't want to, or failed to join a gang were called The Renegades, outcasts who lived on the outskirts of their territories, barely surviving on their own. Since they were so few, they were weak, vulnerable to the lower level gangs that weren't exactly pure of heart.

It was time for change.

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Logan's fingers fiddled with the edge of his right sleeve's cuff, his eyes gazing out the window, over the land he had made his gang's territory.

Determined men and women working the field in the summer day's heat, growing their crops and caring for their life stock.

People in white gloves, treating sickly patients with what little remedies they collected and could make.

Brave soldiers patrolling the borders, insuring the safety of their people, preventing Renegades and others from entering the territory.

Peacemaking guards solving everyday conflicts and protecting their storages.

Professional organisers keeping their system working, collecting items and distributing them fairly.

Cleaners scrubbing and dusting the buildings, making them sanitary.

Logan had built this system, this empire from scratch, with the help of his second in command, Virgil Nightshade.

Virgil was always by his side and although his comments were often sarcastic or negative, he did provide a unique and helpful insight.

Logan's gang wasn't the only big organisation in the nearby area.

The other major gang was led by a man called Roman Prince, a bit of a royal, but loyal, prat, and his optimistic second in command, Patton Starling.

The two groups were rivals, constantly competing to come out on top.

Unfortunately for Roman, he didn't possess the logical and strategic mind of Logan, causing his gang to have many flaws. Personnel often abandoned their posts, rules were not obeyed and resources were often stolen.

Roman Prince had a way of inspiring people, making him a great leader. He was the shepherd of mindless sheep, guiding them to do what they needed to do.

Patton Starling, his second in command, was a cheerful and loving person. He could connect with others easily, form strong relationships quickly. He was emotional and empathetic. People could trust him fully.

Together, they attracted people like moths to a flame. But eventually their kindness were taken advantage of. They could not do much to control their people.

Logan Bellemore, on the other hand, was a calculating person, tending to listen to his mind rather than his heart. He could map out perfect plans in his sleep. This cold, logical behaviour often caused him to be insensitive and not aware, or fully understanding, of other people's emotions.

Virgil Nightshade, his second in command, was a quiet and reserved person, preferring to be alone with his thoughts rather than a large, noisy crowd. He often noticed the little things others wouldn't, no matter how obvious. A subconscious habit, the flash of emotion in someone's eyes, a miniscule detail. He wasn't too good with people, always anxious and overthinking. This could lead to him avoiding his problems, instead of facing them.

Together, they could map out flawless plans, come up with the most amazing ideas, spot numerous weaknesses and fix them. But people had a hard time feeling comfortable around them, intimidated by the duo's negative outlook on those who couldn't pass certain standards. Although, Virgil could understand anxiety better than anyone. Eventually, people realised that they would be the most effective and safe gang.

They badly wanted to join, but first they had to past the initiation ceremony.

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Logan turned his gaze towards one of the stone sundials he had ordered to be placed across the territory. They had no electricity, nor extra batteries, so using the sun to tell the time was necessary. He adjusted his sleek, black glasses on top of his nose, walking out of the neat room he had dubbed his "office".

His black shoes clicked against the steps as he strode over to the door where Virgil was waiting. Virgil was clad in his usual all black outfit, the only exception being a silver chain with a moon charm attached. He fiddled with it as he leant against the faded white wall with one shoulder.

There was to be a initiation ceremony today, which both of them would be attending since they were the leaders. Accompanying them would be ten chosen, armed guards, the head organiser, who trained and taught the new members everything they needed to know, and, of course the people who wished to join.

The rules of Logan's gang were that anyone was allowed to the initiation ceremony once, but afterwards you were forbidden to try again. That ensured that only the best were accepted. If the persons couldn't succeed in completing their task, they were forced to either join another gang or become a Renegade.

Virgil stood upright as Logan came to stand before him, letting the silver necklace fall back to its in place on his chest.

"Greetings, Virgil. It is a adequate morning today, " Logan greeted with a nod.

"Hey, Logan," Virgil nodded back.

"Have you received the reports on the quantity of those whom wish to become a member of our organisation?"

"Yeah, " Virgil answered. "Ready to meet them?"

"I am."

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 **Total words: 1962** **I am SO sorry for being gone so long. Writers block paired with real life is a terrible combination.** **Guys, I've almost reached 500 reads! Thank you so much!** **I've decided to make this one-shot into a full book.** **Let me know if you find any typos or problems.** **Until next time, take it easy guys, gals and non-binary pals! Peace out!**


	6. 6 Analogical (Starry Night Sky)

**6.ANALOGICAL (STARRY NIGHT SKY)**

 **I was complaining to my mom, saying that I had writer's block. She replied, "Don't worry, an idea will come to you, " then this popped into my head XD. I do occasionally like too change the characters' appearances. It's a romantic pairing. Enjoy!**

 **O -- O -- O -- O -- O -- O -- O** **\-- O**

 _Virgil is awake again._

Logan heard the soft padding of bare feet against wood floors. Slapping against tiles. Clink of a glass. Rushing of water. A sigh.

Silence.

It was not unusual for Virgil to be up when others will still sleeping. He often suffered from nightmares or he'd surf the internet until he realised how late it was.

As for Logan, his mind was much too busy to allow him to rest. He had so much responsibilities, plans, thoughts that his overworked brain kept him up until he passed out from exhaustion.

Both of them haven't been able to get some shut eye for the last three nights. Logan decided that instead of the two of them staying apart in their separate rooms, not able to sleep, they could actually do something with their time.

Logan glided out of bed and walked out of his room, making enough noise for Virgil to hear, but not to bother the others. He quietly opened the closet under the stairs where bits and bobs were stored, grabbing the black telescope in the corner.

Logan has always been fascinated by outer space.

The faraway stars like blinking diamonds against the inky sky. Planets, big and small, out of rock or gasses, engulfed in the dark, endless obis of space. The thrilling excitement and fear of gazing at the unknown.

Logan could spend hours marvelling at the moon through the telescope black as the night itself, gazing upon its chalky surfaces, studying the craters visible to his miniature instrument.

He shuffled over to the door that led to the back garden, the legs of the telescopes poking at his side. Choosing a patch of the dryest damp grass he could find, Logan set up his telescope and plopped down on the cold ground. He waited a few seconds and heard the sound of the backdoor opening.

Soft thumping of feet. Silence. A question.

"What's got you awake?"

Logan twisted around and was awarded with the sight of Vigil in red and navy plaid pyjama bottoms, a black nightshirt, barefoot.

"Too much to ponder," Logan murmured, gesturing to the right of him. Virgil obliged, plunking down on the grass cross-legged.

"May I inquire as to why you're up?" Logan readjusted his glasses atop his nose.

"Couldn't sleep," Virgil mumbled, propping his elbows on his knees and resting his chin on his right hand. His nibbled his left thumb, staring into the starry night sky.

"I can see that," Logan observed, raising an eyebrow.

The moonlight glinted in Virgil's eyes, a fleck of light against the the dark orbs. "Nightmares," Virgil admitted, plucking stands of grass from the ground before him.

Silence.

A slight breeze ruffled the trees' leaves, covering the two males with a few goosebumps. Logan glanced at the person beside him and scooted to the side.

"Why don't you study the cosmos for a while," Logan offered.

Virgil looked up. "No, no, that's okay. I'm good."

"I insist."

Virgil huffed and slid to the left, peering through the telescope up at the heavens.

They sat there on the cold ground, the damp grass clinging to their legs, taking turns observing the moon.

Silence.

They studied the cosmos and they studied each other. Virgil would peek at Logan from under his fringe. Logan would pretend he didn't notice. Virgil would use the telescope next. Logan would glimpse at Virgil. Virgil would pretend he didn't notice.

Eventually they tired and decided to head back to their respective beds.

"G'night, Logan," Virgil yawned and stood up, shaking the grass from his clothes.

"Goodnight, Virgil." Logan's eyes drooped as he watched Virgil lumber back into the house.

He glanced once more at the single grey cloud that formed in the sky. Logan stifled a yawn and pulled himself up from the ground. Dragging the telescope with him, Logan stumbled back into the warm house to his welcoming bed. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Silence.

 **0 -- O -- 0 -- O -- 0 -- O -- 0**

The nightly activities of the two sides had become a regular occurrence. Most nights when sleep evaded their outstretched grasps, they could venture into the garden knowing that the other would be there with the telescope ready to use.

Logan had had the logical sense to bring a blanket after a few times they gathered at their spot in the garden.

He was the first to arrive one night, four days after their first stargazing experience. He had taken a dark blue blanket and spread it out on the grass, the telescope already set up. Logan had sat patiently on the uncomfortable ground, hoping that Virgil was awake too.

The soft click of the backdoor. Thumping of footsteps. Logan smiled. Virgil walked over and sat down on the blanket next to Logan.

Silence.

Neither of them spoke. They didn't have to. Sitting under the stars with each others presence was all they needed.

 **0 -- O -- 0 -- O -- 0 -- O -- 0**

One night two plush, black pillows from Virgil's room joined them at their stargazing spot.

Virgil was curled up on a red blanket, watching Logan as he peered through the telescope. Virgil felt closer to the logical side than he had before. Their nightly stargazing had created a connection between the two that neither of them had with any other side.

Silence.

This was how most of the nights were spent- in silence, observing the moon.Virgil cuddled further into his pillow.A light wind blew over them.

All was quiet. All was calm.

 **0 -- O -- 0 -- O -- 0 -- O -- 0**

Virgil and Logan were sprawled out on a fuzzy blanket that was an appalling shade of yellow (it was the only one Logan could find), gazing upon the clear starry sky, each resting their head on a plush pillow. They were laying side by side, their bodies almost touching.

Only the soft sounds of breathing and the distant noise of cars broke the silence. Virgil turned his left to look at Logan who was staring unwaveringly at the cosmos above, silver wisps of moonlight glinting off his glasses.

His hands were folded neatly on his stomach.

Virgil felt his hand twitch, fighting the urge to brush away the strand of hair that fell into Logan's eyes. Logan slowly turned his head to stare at Virgil.

Both of them were trapped in the cosmos of each others eyes, dark globes with flecks of moonlight, shining stars burning in the night sky.

A shooting star dancing above caught their attention.

"Make a wish," Virgil whispered.

"Why? Stars have no magical properties that allow them-"

"Just do it."

Logan turned his head to look up at the heavens and closed his eyes. No words were said. His eyes opened and he turned back to look at Virgil.

"Did you make a wish?" Virgil asked. Logan only smiled.

Silence.

 **0 -- O -- 0 -- O -- 0 -- O -- 0**

Click of the backdoor. Thumping of feet. Virgil smiled. He had arrived first tonight.

Logan joined Virgil laying on the purple blanket, spreading the second he brought to cover them. Saying nothing.

Under the cosy green material, Virgil could feel Logan's hand right next to his. His breath hitched in his throat. Logan carefully slid his hand an inch to the right. Then a little more. A bit more.

Virgil turned his palm up and intertwined his fingers with the warm hand on top of his.

It was quiet.

No distant noise of traffic. Even the universe was holding its breath.

"Logan," Virgil murmured.

"Yes?" Logan's heart was beating hard against his ribs.

"What did you wish for when you saw the shooting star a few nights ago?"

Logan turned his head to look at Virgil. "For more nights like this one," he whispered.

Virgil scooted closer, resting his head on Logan's shoulder. "Will you stay with me?"

"Always. Together for as long as the stars and night sky are above us."

One cold and one warm hand laced together. Two hearts beating as one. A smile and a grin.

Silence.

 **O -- O -- O -- O -- O -- O -- O**

 **1318 words. I tried to get a certain feel to it, but it was tricky. Please drop a review and until next time!**


	7. 7 Royality (Fairytale Fusion)

**Don't despair, dear readers, my lack of updating doesn't mean I have deceased.** **A Patton x Roman. They haven't had that much scenes together, but this couple is actually very cute. It's platonic with implied romance.**

 **Do remember that I have my own definitions of mages, warlocks, witches ect.**

 **Those who aren't familiar with Steven Universe, fusion is when two or more characters combine or 'fuse' together and form a whole other being, with mixed attributes of each person.**

 **\-- * - 0 - * --**

Patton hummed along with the soothing notes of music that drifted around in the air. He was sprawled out on the soft, cream coloured carpet with a slight yellow tint, paging through a photo album of Thomas. His corner of Thomas's mind, or his room, was pleasantly warm, feeling as if rays of sunlight were caressing his skin.

Patton looked up. The soft knock on his door was followed by a well-dressed Roman, a sword strapped to his side.

He smiled cheekily at the lazing figure. "Greetings, my dearest Patton."

"Hey, Roman!" He beamed up at the prince. "What brings you here?"

Roman rubbed the back of his neck. "My creative ideas have been absent lately. Not that I couldn't have come up with them, but dear Thomas, sweet, hardworking Thomas, has been _so_ tired lately."

Roman waved his hand through the air. "I was hoping you would assist me."

Patton stood up. "Of course, Ro! I'd love to. What did you have in mind?"

"I thought we could venture through my room for some brainstorming," Roman proposed.

"Sounds like a plan!" Patton took his outstretched arm and they sunk out to Roman's room.

They landed on the lush fields with a plop, the breeze ruffling their hair and the grass of the hilltop on which they were standing. Patton marveled at the glittering lake, a figure of an enormous creature lurking at the bottom. The sun was peeping from behind the peaks of the mountains in the distance, reflecting off Patton's glasses.

A group of little mages were playing tag to their right, making spurts of water or tiny gusts of wind to stop each other from tagging them. A teenage mage was sitting cross-legged a distance away, curling her hands around a ball of flame that she held in her lap.

Patton turned around, greeted by a forest of evergreen plants. An old couple, a witch and wizard, were strolling through the woods and collecting herbs for their potions.

"This way, my dear Patton! Let's go meet up with my subjects at my castle."

Patton turned to face Roman and they walked towards the towering stone castle. Hoards of people were crowded around rickety stalls and dancing to music in the town square. As they neared the crowds, a little boy with a tooth gap and painted face ran up to them.

"Look Prince Roman! I'm gon'a train and be 's strong and brave 's you!" The boy exclaimed, waving his plastic sword.

Roman crouched down. "Train hard, my dear boy. You'll make a fine knight one day."

Roman ruffled his hair the boy scampered off with a grin. Patton smiled as the walked over to the wooden stalls.

A hooded man was paying for the ingredients he bought from the witch's stall. He pocketed a handful of pink crystals and held up a bottle with sparkling purple powder. Uncorking the bottle, he poured a handful of the purple powder into his palm and put the bottle in his pocket.

As the man tuned to walk away, Patton saw a glimpse the swirling black tattoos that covered his neck and parts of his face. Patton swore he had seen orange eyes before a cloud of purple dust engulfed them. Roman and Patton coughed as they tried to wave the cloud of powder away. Roman planted his hands on his hips.

"Hades, that warlock was rude. He could have gone without choking us with his fairy dust," Roman said, dusting his clothes off.

"Is it dangerous?" Patton asked worriedly.

"Nah, Warlocks are protectors. They mean no harm."

"Warlocks? Are they like the children we saw earlier?"

Roman shook his head. "No, there are different types of magic users. The children were mages- benders of the elements. They're very connected with life and nature. Mages usually hang around their own tribes, but are contacted if someone is seriously ill, being healers and all. "

Roman inspected a few of the potions and Patton followed.

"Then you have your witches and wizards. They're more into the knowledge and learning of magic. Potion making, ancient runes, astronomy, a few light spells and such. Most are considered the wise village consultant, but some prefer to be left alone.

"Then you have your warlocks and sorcerers. Unlike the previous types, it's not a power they naturally inherit.

"Warlocks take a oath and complete a ritual to gain their magic. When it's completed, they get tattoos with the traditional warlock symbols. Warlocks are invested in the spell side of magic, although they make potions that are a little darker than witches' and wizards'. Warlocks are our magical protectors and help out the Royal Guard if there's a threatening danger. "

Patton nodded as Roman spoke and continued to investigate more stalls.

"What kind of ritual do they have to complete?" Patton asked.

Roman laughed. "I don't know, Patt, I'm not a warlock. I guess some kind of blood bond."

"And the sorcerers?"

"Hmm? Oh right, sorcerers are magic users that received their magic from dark forces, like demons and alike. Whereas warlocks use their ancient magic for the benefit of the people, sorcerers' motives are purely selfish. They dive very far into the dark arts."

They stopped at a colourful stall swarmed with children. A blonde girl with a braid beamed as her sword was handed to her. When she saw Roman, she gave a bow and sprinted away. A little dark haired boy was putting bracelets on and has a crimson cape slung around his shoulders.

Roman smirked and snatched a headband with cat ears, plopping them onto Patton's head. The prince thought it made his companion even cuter than normal. Patton giggled and grabbed a plastic crown and plunked it onto Roman's curls. It looked like a golden halo on his head and he carried it with the pride of royalty.

Roman laughed and took a tiny brown sack out of his pocket. He opened it up and went to hand a few golden coins to the stall owner.

"Oh, no, no, Prince Roman, I couldn't. Please, it's on the house," the owner said, shaking their head.

"Now, what kind of Prince would that make me, just taking from my wonderful subjects," Roman replied, holding up a hand.

Roman dropped the coins on the stall counter and grinned at the owner. They smiled back, gratefully taking the money.

The Prince and his companion strolled through a few more stalls and came to a stop at the town square. The stone surface had a magnificent mural in the centre, a invincible castle with the sun setting behind it. A few people, mostly children, were dancing to the music that a live band was playing.

The gap-toothed boy with the plastic sword had grabbed the boy with the bracelets and crimson cape by the hand, pulling him into a dance. The blonde girl with the braid put her sword down, asking a shy, redheaded girl with a painted butterfly on her face if she wanted to join her on the dance floor. The shy girl nodded, smiling, and took her hand. The old witch and wizard they saw collecting herbs earlier were slowly swaying to the beat in the far corner.

Roman took Patton's hand, bowing as he asked, "May I have this dance, good sir?"

Patton inclined his head, laughing. "I'd be honoured, my Prince."

The moved to the centre of the gathering crowd, standing right on top of the impressive mural beneath them. Roman took Patton's hand in his, wrapping one arm around his waist. Patton rested his arm around Roman's neck.

The two of them started to copy the dancing crowd, waltzing to the growing beat. Everyone swayed together like they shared a single mind, a synchronised body.

Roman twirled his partner outward, connected only by their extended arms, and spun Patton back into his chest. The prince hugged Patton from behind as they continued dancing, smiling into his hair. The masses around them were all circuling the duo at a fast pace, moving like the rings around a planet. Patton swirled back around until he faced Roman and held both his hands, spinning them in a circle.

Patton's cat-ears came off in the proses, yet Roman's crown miraculously stayed on his head.

As the music came to a end, Roman pulled his companion to his chest, dipping him gracefully. Their foreheads touched as they stared into each other eyes, breathing heavily. Patton laughed gleefully and Roman followed suit.

An observer might have noticed a hooded figure with orange eyes and tattoos smile at the scene, before blinding white light swallowed the town square.

When the light faded, the villagers stood still and gwaked at the person in the centre of the crowd. He was on his knees, looking disoriented.

The person in question was enormously tall, almost twice the length of an average man. He had a golden crown decorated with rubies perched on his curly brown hair, a pair of sharp, elangant black-rimmed glasses framing his equally brown eyes. A few freckles littered his nose and cheeks. He was clad in a white dress shirt with grey epaulettes, grey ripped jeans and high, red boots. A scarlet sash hung around his frame, a silver sword strapped to his side and a ruby cape slung over his shoulders.

The fusion shakily stood up, not quite knowing what happened. One minute he, _they_ were dancing...there was light. Now he was here.

"Why am I, you- why are we on the ground?" The fusion muttered to himself.

He noticed all the townspeople oglling him. As if to set them at ease, he grinned and gave them a bow. The crowd cheered, thinking their prince and his companion had planned this. They carried on dancing as the fusion stumbled off into a darkened corner. The lanterns illumination the square weren't close enough to provide sufficient lighting.

He slouched against the cold cobblestone wall, not noticing the hooded figure until he spoke.

"It looks like it worked successfully, so what is it that plagues you, fusion?" The voice was higher that he anticipated.

The fusion straightened and looked at the warlock. "What do you mean 'it worked'? I didn't plan this."

Orange eyes stared at him from under the hood. It clicked into place. "You're the warlock that threw me, _us_ with purple dust!"

The warlock lifted up his hood, showing a sharp, feminine face, revealing that he was actually a she. "That I did. Do not worry, it is not harmful. You still have the ability to unfuse if you wish."

"But, _why_?" The fusion went to run a hand through his hair, forgetting about his sharp crown, and pricked a finger on one point.

The warlock walked over and waved her hand over his pricked finger, healing the minimal ingury. "It's a warlock's pledge not to reveal sacred information until it is critically needed. Do not fret, please, there is no danger afoot today."

The fusion sighed. "It just feels weird, you know. I'm a fusion. It feels like I jumped straight out of Steven Universe."

The warlock smiled, a dreadlock falling into her orange eyes. She grabbed both of his hands and cupped them in both of hers. "You are not one person and you are not two people. You are a experience. Make sure you're a good experience," she quoted.

The fusion chuckled and squeezed her hands. "I will."

The female warlock gave one last reassuring glance and shrugged up her hood, melting into the darkness, leaving the fusion alone.

 **O - O - O**

Thomas and the two sides stared at person standing infront of them. The fusion had told them the basics about the warlock, her purple dust and how they fused.

"So, it's like Steven Universe?" Thomas asked.

"Pretty much," the fusion rubbed the back of his neck.

"Cool," Virgil mumbled.

"Considering we cannot call you Roman or Patton at the present, what will be your chosen name?" Logan readjusted his glasses.

"Uh, I didnt really think about that. Maybe something like Ratton, Romton, Romatton?"

The other pulled a face.

"Romaon, Ropatton? Paman, Poman, Pattoman?" The fusion kept trying.

The others shook their heads.

"Pattman?"

"That sounds like Paccman," Logan remarked.

"Pararoman?"

"That sounds like ParaNorman," Thomas noted.

"RoPa?"

"That just sounds stupid," Virgil muttered. "Like you're saying rope in a weird accent."

When the people in a fusion strongly disagree, the fusion can collapse, causing them to unfuse. The prince and father-figure fusion barely managed to stay together. Roman was annoyed at everyone for disregarding his ideas, while Patton understood that they were trying to help.

Thomas and the remaining sides flinched as the fusion glitched.

"Sorry, guys. Those just don't sound right." Thomas clicked his fingers. "What about Pattroman?"

"Pa-tro-min?" Virgil asked.

"It kinda sounds like that spell, _Expecto_ _Patronum_ , from Harry Potter," Thomas said.

"Well, I am quite magical," the fusion joked.

"It's settled then, Pattroman." Logan tapped his bottom lip.

"Then there's the case of them fusing, influincing Thomas's behaviour. Creativity and morality make wonder, although that's not nessecerily a bad thing. I conclude that as long as they unfuse now and again to deal with serious matters, all will be well."

"Great," Pattroman grinned. "If you'll excuse me, my castle awaits."

The fusion bowed, his crown somehow not sliding off, and sunk out.

"They'll be even more insufferable now," Virgil mumbled and disappeared to his room.

Logan stared at the space Virgil previously occupied, wondering if it was possible for the other sides to fuse without being sprinkled with the magical warlock powder.

 **O - O - O**

Pattroman stared dramatically into the distance as the wind swept his hair like he was in a movie. Patton and Roman has been fused for quite a while now. They didn't need to unfuse often and had become much better at understanding one another, strengthening their relationship.

Most of the time, Pattroman liked to spend time with the villagers, but he could recently feel a threat looming above them. He had no idea what was in store for him, but he would be ready. Pattroman mounted his horse and unshethed his sword. Whipping the horse's reins, it galloped into the sunset.

He was a true prince, a knight on a white stallion, but without the shining armour.

They weren't in stock yet.

 **\-- * - 0 - * --**

 **2385 words.**

 **Sorry this took so long. The writing still feels icky to me, but it'll have to do.** **Please tell me what you thought, if you have any suggestions I'll see you next time!**


	8. 8 SidesCo (Dear Virgil,We Love You)

**Hi guys!**

 **So this was thought out by my wonderous best friend, HypnoArt, for a school project when we had to do a dialogue. I just put my own twists on it.**

 **I thought it would be perfect for a fluffy oneshot, so here we are.**

 **The characters are the Sides, Thomas, Remy (Sleep), Dr Picani and Bad!Deceit (Damian).**

 **Deceit will use one or two offensive terms, so be warned.** **I don't go to therapy, so I hope my research is mostly accurate.**

 **0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0**

Virgil slammed his bedroom door closed behind him. Dropping his school bag on the ground, he tugged off his comfortable hoodie, throwing it over his desk chair, and sunk into his bed. Burrowing his face in a plush, black pillow, Virgil did the breathing technique his therapist taught him.

 _Breathe in for four seconds._

 _Hold your breath for seven seconds._

 _Breathe out for eight seconds._

It couldn't go on like this.

 _Breathe in for four._

 _Hold for seven._

 _Breathe out for eight._

Why was it always him? What had he done to deserve this? He did another cycle to avoid thinking about the answer.

 _In for four._

 _Hold for seven._

 _Out for eight._

Things would be better if he just-

 _Four._

 _Seven._

 _Eight_.

Ran away.

Virgil slowly sat up and rubbed his face. He shuffled over to his desk chair, threw his black and purple hoodie over the bedpost, and wheeled it over to his closet. The wheels of the chair glided over the tiles of the bedroom, requiring a bit more effort to move over his black rug.

Moving it to the edge of his rug, right against the closet, he climbed onto the chair and opened the cupboard doors at the top. Virgil looked past the cardboard box on his left and saw what he was searching for in the far right.

He stretched forward to grab the striped purple suitcase, realising too late that the chair could move sideways. It veered to the left and he gripped the cardboard box to steady himself, but only managed to take it down with him. He crashed onto the ground, hitting his right shoulder against the purple painted wall. The surprisingly heavy cardboard box plummeted onto his leg, spilling pages everywhere.

Virgil groaned and rubbed his shoulder, pulling himself into a ball. His right elbow would have a big bruise tomorrow from where he tried to break his fall. He sat up and flipped the cardboard box back over, chucking its contents that littered the floor back in.

Old rapport cards, unfinished sketches, embarrassing middleschool photos, random scribbles. Virgil picked up one of the pages. It was a letter addressed to him.

 _Oh yeah_. That summer Virgil's phone broke and he didn't have the money to repair it. His friends still wanted to keep in touch, so they wrote him letters.

Virgil tried to flatten the creases and looked down at the extravagant, curly writing.

 **0.0.0.0**

 _My darling emo,_

Virgil rolled his eyes. That was so like Roman. Him and his family went on a luxurious vacation in Miami that summer.

 _My flight was dreadfully boring. I'm afraid that the airplane has terribly unflattering lighting for selfies. How would people know I'm going on vacation if I don't post about it? Not to mention that airplane food is not close to fitting for a prince._

Virgil scoffed. With Princey's wealthy family they could easily afford first class. The Prince's were a picture perfect family- a famous model mother, a worldknown actor father, and a theatre star son with the voice of angel.

 _The hotel we checked into was marvellous. I had a king size bed to myself and the breakfast buffet was to die for. I soaked up a ton of sunshine at the beach and built a magnificent sandcastle with Dad._

Virgil looked at the attached photo Princey sent with the letter. Roman (shirtless) posed dramatically behind a well-built castle, his father crouching beside it.

Some things never changed.

 _They had a live band playing at the beach one day. I think even you would have liked their music. They asked a person from the audience to come and sing with them and obviously I got chosen. I was like a syren upon that stage, seducing the crowd with my voice. The vid will be on my insta._

 _I hope you like the souvenir I got you. Stay safe and healthy, my chemically imbalanced romance_.

 _Till we meet again_ ,

 _Roman_.

 **0.0.0.0**

Virgil smiled. He remembered when Princey came back from his vacation and gifted his friends a souvenir along with a seashell. He loved the phone cover of Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Chrismas he received.

Patton had gotten a stuffed kitten teddy with a flower crown on its head. His shell had a slight pink tint to it.

Logan had received a colourful necktie with fishes on it. He had pretended to hate it, but they all knew he wore it when he was at home. His shell had a slight blue hue.

When Virgil had put his porcelain shell to his ear to listen to ocean, Logan had informed them that they were actually listening to the blood rushing through their ears. It kind of killed the magic.

Virgil snatched another letter from the ground.

This one was from Logan.

 **0.0.0.0**

 _Virgil_ ,

Straight to the point then.

 _Since your cellular device has been temporarily non-functional, I have decided to converse with you through written format._ _I visited the Butterfly Rainforest at the Florida Museum of Natural History two days prior. It was fascinating and Mother really enjoyed it._

 _My mother and I paid a visit to an observatory today. Even though I was knowledgeable to most facts about the planets, I never knew about the folklore behind the numerous constellations. It was an out-of-this-world experience._

Virgil felt his lips twitch when he imagined the face his friend would have made when he realised he made a pun. Knowing Pocket Protector, he probably went to buy a book on constellations for research purposes.

 _I'll be with my father for the weekend, I hope that we can find topics in common to converse about..._

Logan's parents were divorced and he didn't get to see his dad often. They didn't have a very close relationship.

 _I hope your therapy sessions have been beneficial to your mental state. Make sure to get enough sleep, eat healthily and stay hydrated._

 _Logan_.

 **0.0.0.0**

Virgil scrambled to find another letter. He chucked a few more meaningless papers into the cardboard box- his old passwords, doodles on scraps, school newsletters.

One particular piece of wrinkled parchment caught his eyes. He set that one to the side were the other's letters were. Only two more papers remained in the original heap.

Virgil scooted closer and studied the first one.

It was from Patton.

 **0.0.0.0**

 _Hey Kiddo_ ,

Virgil rolled his eyes. Patton was truly the mom-friend of the group.

 _We got a puppy! Can you believe it?! She's a cute little labrador with these tiny ears and tiny, wagging tail! We named her Trixie, because she's a real trickster. We're gonna have our hands full with this one._

Of course Patton's letter would be about a puppy.

 _It's great being here on the family farm. Joan, Talyn, and I swam in the lake yesterday_.

Talyn was Patton's sibling and Joan was Talyn's significant other.

 _It was freezing! Poor Trixie wouldn't come near the water and I had to beg Talyn to join me and Joan. They eventually gave in._

 _We're going to ride on the quads tomorrow. Hopefully no-one gets hurt this time._

Virgil cringed as he remembered the "Wheelie Incident" as they dubbed it.

 _Stay safe, Virge! I can't wait to see you guys again._

 _Lots of love_ 3

 _Patton_

 **0.0.0.0**

Virgil chuckled at the added heart. He put the letter with the others and read the last one.

 **0.0.0.0**

 _Dear fag,_

Virgil clenched his jaw. He could see that smirking snake looming over him, clad in his usual ironic, yellow shirt.

 _I hope your vacation is great, considering you're a miserable miscreant who only has friends out of pity_.

Virgil knew he should ignore him, but he always knew how to hit home. Virgil was insecure about his friendship with Roman, Logan and Patton. They were just so great, and he... wasn't.

 _Do us all a favour and just dissapear, would you? I mean, what are you even here for? Your own parents abandoned you!_

So what if he's adopted? Thomas and his husband were kind people.

 _It's not like you can compete with your brother anyway. You're just an unimportant ant in the shadow of his greatness._

Remy was Thomas's nephew, but after his parents died, the Sanders adopted him. Remy was an exceptional dancer, he had a whole trophy case to prove it, and he was very popular. Virgil paled in comparison.

 _Save everyone the trouble and skip off to La La Land with another pansy._

Was being gay such a big deal?

 _If you do have the gall to come crawling back... Let's say I can't wait for making new memories..._

Virgil swallowed. He definitely kept the promise.

 _Your forever enemy_

 **0.0.0.0**

He ripped the paper, squashed it into a ball and threw it into the little dustbin next to his desk.

How did _he_ even find his address? Damian always could find out anything if he wished, except maybe his own happiness.

Everyone knew of the rumours about Damian's abusive household. He wasn't always this bad, he could actually be quite funny, in a sardonic kind of way.

Virgil just made the mistake of crushing on him, once upon a time. Turns out Damian was extremely homophobic, or just needed a reason to let out his pent up anger. He immediately rebuked Virgil and turned very bullying towards him.

Damien wasn't _too_ violent towards Virgil, he wouldn't risk leaving evidence.

Virgil heard the thump of footsteps coming down the hall. He hastily stuck the three letters and wrinkled paper in his desk's drawer and went to hide the cardboard box, when his older brother strolled onto his room.

Remy rested his sunglasses on top of his brown locks, slowly sipping his Starbucks coffee. Virgil was awkwardly bent down to grip the box and tried to stand straight with dignity. He half-glared at his big brother.

"Don't you knock?"

"Hey, lil' bro," he grinned. "I'm your sibling. Those rules never apply to me."

Virgil sighed.

"Whatcha got there?"

"It's just a box with old report cards and stuff. "

"Ooooohhhh, anything embarrassing?" Remy winked.

Virgil scoffed, picked the box up and realised that he couldn't reach the top cupboards without standing on a chair.

Remy looked at the tipped chair, open cupboards and Virgil's messy appearance.

He laughed, "You fell off the chair, didn't you?"

Virgil turned red, but said nothing. Remy, who was much taller, set down his coffee on the desk and took the box from Virgil, returning it to its prior place in the cupboard. He closed the cupboard doors and ruffled the younger boy's hair.

"It isn't that hard to ask for help, Virge," he teased.

"Well, whatever. Thanks, Rem," he mumbled.

"You're welcome, bro. Dad'll be here in about two hours. Think you'll be fine till then?" Remy asked, popping the collar of his leather jacket he wore over his plain, white shirt.

"Where are you going?" Virgil asked, wheeling his chair back to his desk.

"Gonna go to a quick study group with my peeps," Remy replied, sticking his one hand into his black jeans's pocket," I'm failing History."

He took his coffee and strutted out the room.

"It's Wednesday afternoon," Virgil called, "and at least close the door!"

"I told you, those rules never apply to siblings!" Remy called from down the hall. "Bye, b*tch!"

Virgil grumbled, closed his bedroom door and glanced guiltily at where his suitcase was in his closet. Was he really going to run away, leave his family and friends behind? What would they think of him?

How would he even survive? Where would he live? For how long? Whose money would he use?

Virgil sighed. His flight reflex had kicked in and he didn't think it through at all. Virgil slid into his desk chair and pulled out his homework. He has a therapy session tomorrow and had to get as much done as possible.

As an afterthought, he took the letters and wrinkled parchment from the desk drawer and stuffed them in his bag. Dr Picani might want to see them.

 **0 _ 0 - 0 _ 0**

Virgil stalked down the corridor. He was going to be late for Geography. _Again_.

A shoulder colided with his, causing him to drop his bag. He sneered at the laughing Damian over his shoulder. Virgil slung his bag over his shoulder and rushed to class.

 **0 _ 0 - 0 _ 0**

Virgil's other few classes went by without a hitch, excluding him being called on and accidentaly calling the teacher "mom". Ironic since he had two fathers.

The others hadn't arrived yet, so Virgil had bought his lunch and sat alone at their usual cafeteria table.

He lifted the forkful of mash to his mouth and felt someone bump his arm, causing him to spill his food into his lap.

He growled, "Seriously," not looking back, because he'd know that damned laugh anywhere.

Virgil cleaned up with his napkin and saw his friends come through the cafeteria doors.

 **0 _ 0 - 0 _ 0**

Virgil rested his head on his hand, trying to focus on his math equation. It was the last period, he could almost go to therapy then home.

 **13\. 2p(y - p) 15y(3p 4y)**

 **14\. If X=5, A=12 and C=42, how much is [5(2 x 5a) - 13X(5c a)]**

Virgil exhaled. His brain was exhausted by the end of the day and he couldn't keep his mind on his work.

The ringing bell signaled the end of his torture. He quickly stuffed his books in his bag and drifted out of the classroom. A voice called out to him as he was rushing down the hall.

"Virge, wait up!"

Virgil looked back at Patton jogging up to him, not yet in his cheerleading uniform.

"Hey, Pat. Don't you have cheer practise today? Where are the others?"

"I can spare a few seconds for my friend," Patton smiled. "Roman is at drama practise and Logan went to chemistry club."

Patton dug around in his bag and pulled out an envelope. "We know you've been having a hard time lately, so we made you this."

He handed Virgil the envelope, zippded his bag closed and flashed a grin. "Gotta go, see you tomorrow!" Patton hurried back from where he came.

Virgil put the envelope in his bag where he kept the letters and wrinkled parchment. He dashed to his dad's car and climbed in front.

"Hey, Dad," Virgil greeted, kissing him on the cheek.

"Hey, Kiddo," Thomas smiled at him. "Ready for therapy?"

"Yup," Virgil buckled his seatbelt. "How was work?"

They shared some small talk until they reached the therapists' offices.

"Okay, I'll come pick you up when you're done," Thomas gave him a squashed hug.

"Bye, Dad."

Virgil jumped out of the car, heaved his bag over his shoulder and trudged to Dr Picani's office. The door was open and the therapist was sitting behind his desk, studying a patient's file.

"Hey, Dr Picani," Virgil greeted, plopping down on the couch, his schoolbag at his feet.

"Hi, Virgil! Good to see you," the therapist beamed.

He set down the file he had been reading. "This is your second therapy session, right?"

"Yeah."

"I thought that you should tell me about your week before we start your _CBT_ ," Dr Picani said.

 _Cognitive Behaviorable Therapy_ was a common treatment to help with types of anxiety and fears. Dr Picani would also help Virgil with his negative thinking.

"Well, there's this one kid, Damien, that keeps screwing with me." Virgil fiddled with a tread hanging on his ripped black jeans.

"I see. What does he do?"

"Nothing too serious. He rams into me in the halls, whispers names as he goes by. Little things that inconvenience me. "

The therapist scribbled down in a notebook. "Have you told anyone about this?"

"No, there's no need to make them worry about stupid things like this," Virgil huffed, stuffing his hands in his hoodie's pockets. "My friends know that we don't get along and that Damien bothers me sometimes."

"And do they stand up for you when this Damien bullies you?"

"They're never there. I'm in different class than them, so we don't see each other much in between school."

Dr Picani nodded and scribbled more down. "Does this affect you quite a bit?"

Virgil hid behind his fringe. "I miss not seeing them as much as before. I kinda felt excluded from the friendgroup for a long time. Roman, Patton and Logan were friends long before I came along. They're all so talented and such wonderful people."

"Would it be accurate to compare you to Amethyst from _Steven Universe_ in this situation?" Dr Picani asked. "In the episode, _On The Run_ , she and Steven ran off to the Kindergarten and we learned how Amythest feels like she can't compare to the other Crystal Gems. That she's not worthy. "

"Sometimes... I know my family and friends love me, but I wasn't in my right mind this week. I was even ready to run away from home after a particularly bad day," Virgil said, digging the letters, envelope and wrinkled paper out of his bag.

He handed the older man the three letters. "I accidentally came across these letters that made me think. One sumner my phone broke and my friends wrote me letters to stay in touch. It made me feel nostalgic."

Dr Picani scanned the letters. "These made you feel a little more valued, knowing they took time to write to you, that they cared. Like Rin Matsuoka from _Free!_ felt when he swam the relay with his old team after years of not seeing each other."

Virgil nodded and picked up the wrinkled paper. "I planned too write them a thank-you letter for always caring for me, but I ducked out at the last second."

Dr Picani encouraged him to read it. Virgil cleared his throat and started.

 **0.0.0.0**

" _Dear friends,_

 _Thank you for accepting me._

 _Roman, always ready to defend my honour and protect me from harm._

 _Patton, always saying the right thing and giving the comfort I need._

 _Logan, helping me stay focused on what's important and setting my mind at ease._.

 _You're the people I love the most, my best friends._

 _Forever grateful,_

 _Virgil. "_

 **0.0.0.0**

Dr Picani smiled, "You're like the new Marauders."

Virgil chuckled and turned the envelope Patton gave him in his hands.

"Is that another letter?"

"I'm not sure, I haven't opened it yet."

Virgil carefully slid the flap open and took the paper out. It was a letter addressed to him. His three friends must have switched between writing, because the script changed from extravagant and curly, to neat and orderly, to slightly messy scribbles.

Virgil read it out loud.

 **0.0.0.0**

" _Dear Virgil,_

 _We love you._

 _You're our best friend and when you stand behind us, we will protect you. When you stand before us, we will have your back and when you stand next to us, we will respect you._

 _We love your quirks and your remarks and your laugh and the ways you dress and your solidness and you jokes and everything else._

 _We can't imagine a world where you weren't our best friend. We know you've been having a tough time lately and we hope you will trust us to help you in any way we can._

 _Your best friends,_

 _Roman, Logan and Patton."_

 **0.0.0.0**

Virgil wiped a teardrop from his eye and carefully slid the letter back into the envelope, hugging it to his chest.

He accepted the tissue his therapist offered him. "And just like Pearl, you will learn to value and love who you are."

Dr Picani beamed at him. "Now that we've gotten that off your chest, let's move on."

 **0 _ 0 - 0 _ 0**

Virgil scooted into the car and almost jumped into his father's lap when moving to hug him.

"I love you, Dad."

"Miss me that much," Thomas chuckled and kissed the top of his son's head. "I love you too, Virge."

"Dad, when we get home, I've got some things to tell you," Virgil mentioned, clicking in his seatbelt.

"Of course, Kiddo."

 **0 _ 0 - 0 _ 0**

Virgil ran over to where his friends were crowded together and somehow squashed them all into a hug.

"Hey, Virge," Patton laughed.

"I know it's been a whole day since you last saw me, but I didn't know you would miss my charm this much," Roman teased.

"Shut up, Princey," Virgil mumbled into Logan's shoulder.

"Um, Virgil," Logan said, "Not that I particularly mind the affection, but why?"

"No reason." Virgil uncurled himself from his friends. "I just love you guys."

The trio would continue to tease the fourth member, but it was fine.

Virgil was loved and all was well.

 **0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0**

 **I hoped you enjoyed all the fluff XD**

 **Total length: 3437 words (excluding Author's Notes).**


	9. Author's Note

M'kay guys, I finished one full cycle of the main ships and something extra:

Logicality - Prinxiety -

Polysanders/LAMP/CALM

Moxiety - Logince - Analogical

Royality - Sides and Co.

I want do another full cycle before making a Sanders Sides One-shots Book 2. Before I start with a Logicality, I want to do a requested chapter/s.

I want any of you to give me a pairing (romantic/platonic) or a scenario to do. C'mon, shippers, it time for the weird, crack ones you want, but no one writes about. Or a wacky AU you can't get enough of.

I've already received a request for a Polysanders Soulmate Necklace Au, but I can do more than one.

I don't expect you to comment if you don't feel like it, but I want to ask you for feedback. And I won't hate you if you give me brutal honesty.

How's my writing?

Do I describe too much?

How's my characterisation?

Does my dialogue suck?

Do I capture the essence of your ships?

Has my writing improved, stayed average, or worsend?

Anything you'd like to share? Advice? Praise or some hate? Hit me with it.

Lastly, I want to know what your fav character and ship is. I'm just curious.

(I love all the Sides, but Virgil was my original favourite. Remy and Deceit also have a place in my heart. I like Analogical, Logicality and Polysanders. But they're all great.)

Thanks for reading this loooong Author's Note. Peace out 3


	10. 9 RQ:Polysanders(Soulmate Necklace AU)

**This AU was requested by @tinajbee.**

 **I had a bit of a struggle with this, but I hope the length makes up for it.**

 **If you don't know, you have a half (in this case quarter) of a necklace and your soulmate/s has/have the other piece/s. If the pieces fit together, you're soulmates. In this oneshot, your part of the necklace glows softly when you meet your soulmate.**

 **Read on!**

 **0 - 0 - 0**

 ** _Families_**

 _Sanders-_ Thomas(18), Joan(18)

 _Picani-_ Emile Picani(16)

 _Belmont-_ Logan(15)

 _Prince-_ Remy(16), Roman(15)

 _Foster-_ Damian(16) Virgil(15)

 _Parker-_ Talyn(18), Patton(15)

 **0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0**

Logan Belmont slipped through the school gates, his soulmate "necklace" lightly tapping against his ankle, silently finding a patch underneath a large tree's shade in which to sit. He leaned his back against the tree, a book resting across his out stretched legs. He liked to arrive early for school, overly punctual as ever, and it allowed him to fully wake up away from the disarray in his household.

The few students that littered the grounds slowly increased as time ticked on. The 15-year-old boy engrossed in his book took no notice as a starry-eyed student with a blue shirt and grey cardigan tied around his shoulders skipped in past the faded gates with his older sibling. The older sibling stood out between the nervous eight graders, not because of height, but because of their brightly coloured hair.

The senior and the cardigan clad boy walked over to the Sanders siblings. Patton Parker gave each a friendly hug before continuing on, his soulmate bracelet jingling softly. Talyn Parker gave Joan Sanders, their significant other, a kiss on the cheek before hugging their brother, Thomas. The trio seemed tremendously comfortable around one another.

Logan flicked to the next page, his eyes darting up as a particularly loud group strolled through the gates, laughing.

A boy with the name _Remy Prince_ embroided on his black, leather jacket had one arm slung around his younger brother and the other around one of his best friends. Emile Picani smiled sheepishly, readjusting the straps of his Lilo and Stitch backpack on his shoulders. The eldest Prince son took a long sip from his Starbucks coffee- he always seemed to have one in his grasp- and shuffled closer to whisper something in his one best friend's ear, making Emile blush deeply. Roman Prince just shook his head, the sunlight glinting of the necklace adorning his throat.

Logan squinted at the light reflecting into his eyes, snapped his book shut and stalked off to class. Many minutes later, two black-haired brothers slunk into the high school. The two had a fractious ambience surrounding them upon first meeting, although those close to their hearts knew of the kindness within. None payed much attention when Damian Foster, dressed in a black _Sanity's Fall_ shirt and yellow-green jacket, squeezed his younger brother's shoulder, said a goodbye and went to find his best friends, Remy and Emil.

"Bye, Virge."

"Bye, _Deceit_ ," Virgil drawled, rolling his eyes. His older brother thought _Deceit_ sounded cooler than _Damien_ and insisted his friends and family call him by his nickname. Their parents liked to joke that he was still going through his 'phase'.

The younger brother slowly drifted down the halls, avoiding clustering crowds. The bell's ring vibrated down the hall and every student, and teacher, reluctantly went to class. Virgil Foster tried to blend into the chipped, beige walls as much as possible, fiddling with the sleeves of his purple hoodie and occasionally touching the strange earring he wore.

 **0 ~ 0 ~ 0**

 _~Analogince~_

Virgil rushed into the classroom. He had accidentally dropped his bag in the hallway (a nice senior with plum hair had helped him pick it up), but luckily made it before their mathematics teacher did. His eyes quickly searched the room for an open desk. The only spot available was right at the front and centre next to another guy whose face was buried in a book.

"Uh, hey." The guy looked up from his book. Virgil shifted his weight to his other foot. "You mind if I sit here? The rest of class is full."

The boy just nodded, readjusted his glasses and continued reading.

 _Alright then. Guess I'm not as anti-social as I thought, compared to this guy._

Virgil slipped into the seat, pulled out his math textbook and fiddled with his hands in his lap. The boy next to him sighed as he finished his book, putting it in his bag. He fumbled around some and pulled out a second book. A book about astronomy, Virgil spied.

 _How many books does this guy have? His bag must be extremely heavy._

Virgil discreetly peered through his black and purple dyed locks, hunched over while pretending to study his textbook. The boy had slicked back, raven hair and dark eyes gleamed from behind thick, black rimmed glasses. Virgil plucked up his courage and muttered, "My name's Virgil, by the way."

"Logan," the boy said, his eyes not wavering from the book pages and twirling a pencil between his left hand's fingers. "Logan Belmont."

Virgil touched his silver earring slightly. He couldn't help but feel like something was supposed to happen. Maybe he could strike up a conversation about constellations, which he knew nothing about. Or how he too was left handed.

 _"Minorities have to stick together, right,"_ he imagined himself saying _. What am I thinking? Stop being ridiculous!_

The teacher stepping into the classroom and temporarily quelled his thoughts about the handsome boy next to him. Virgil shook his head and prayed that math would be easier than the previous year. He had no such luck.

 **0 ~ 0 ~ 0**

 _~Moxiety~_

Patton hummed off-key as he skipped into art class. Everyone was loitering around and chatting in groups, having been told the teacher was usually late. He noticed that one person was standing at the side of the room, nervously fiddling with the sleeves of his hoodie. His dark green eyes were rather sad, like he wanted to join the people who appeared to all have made at least a single friend. Patton bound over to the boy trying to hide behind his bangs.

"Hello!" Patton chirped, one lock of his curly, golden brown hair falling into his eyes. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Patton!"

The nervous boy stuck his hands in his hoodie pockets. "Hi, I'm Virgil," he uttered, a smile on his face.

Patton's eyes fell on Virgil's earring as Virgil's eyes fluttered to Patton's bracelet. Both of the simple charms were giving off a white dim before fading. Patton quickly took off the charm from his bracelet (a thick, curved line) and Virgil did the same.

Patton moved to put the charms opposite each other, as to form an empty circle, but Virgil's, although almost an identical curved line, was smaller than his soulmate's. Patton felt his grin drop as the green-eyed boy's shoulders drooped, his hands trembling. "I thought we were soulmates," Virgil murmured in an excruciatingly sad tone.

They were soulmates, Patton knew it in his heart. Patton took Virgil's charms and inspected both closely. The smile blinked back onto his kind face as he fitted the smaller under the bigger charm. The silver charms shone brightly and they stared at them, glee and confusion in their eyes. Patton's charm had a third coloured light blue and Virgil's a third dark purple.

The hoodie-wearing boy's eyebrows scrunched together. It looked odd, two curved lines, one atop the other, like it wasn't entirely complete. "Why did that happen?"

"We'll find out soon enough," the cardigan-clad clod shrugged. "Don't worry too much, Virge."

Patton grabbed Vigil by the arm and grinned in a way that lit up his face. "I'll guess I'll have to decline all the offers to sit together with the other students."

"You don't have to do that. I'll be fine." Virgil stared at the boy holding him so close. He had soft features with little freckles littering his nose and cheeks. Virgil could see why people loved him, Patton was so cheerful, it looked like he was beaming with energy.

"No silly, I _want_ to sit next to my soulmate. "

Virgil smiled as he plopped down on the left seat of the desk, doodling on scrap papers as they chatted. Patton laced their hands and gave Virgil's a loving squeeze, his baby blue eyes twinkling.

 **0 ~ 0 ~ 0**

 _~Logince~_

Roman waltzed into English class with a drum of classmates humming around him, past their teacher who was standing outside on her phone. His eyes caught a boy with black rimmed glasses already seated and scribbling down in a notebook fiercely. Roman didn't know what attracted him to the male who was clearly not interested in socialising, but before he could help himself, he was at his desk.

Roman leant back against the desk, placing both hands flat against the wood slab behind him. The boy with the slicked back, black hair and glasses only stopped scribbling for a split second, his eyes never leaving his notebook.

"Hey, handsome," Roman smirked, running a hand through his dark brown hair.

The studious male's inscrutable, dark orbs pierced the prince's stormy blue eyes and Roman felt his confidence drain out of him. A dark left eyebrow rose. "Can I help you?"

Roman tried to plaster his smirk back on, but wavered when he noticed the other boy's gaze on his necklace. The prince looked down at the lightly glowing necklace agape. The seated male wasted no time, hitching up the leg of his jeans and janking the charm off the silver chain wrapped around his ankel. Roman lifted the necklace over his head and moved closer to the now standing boy. Roman let him take his charm and inspect it closely.

It was a few seconds before he carefully fitted Roman's charm over the his smaller one. The princely boy only blinked when their charms shone brightly and a third of the silver charms turned colourful- Roman's red and the other boy's a dark blue.

"What in the nine circles of hell?" Roman watched as the intelligent male lifted both their charms up to his eyes and studied them carefully.

"It's a possibility that we have more than one soulmate." He readjusted his glasses on top of his nose and gave Roman his soulmate necklace back. "I presume that once we meet all of them, the charm will be completely in colour. This theory is also supported by the fact that our two charms together don't look entirely complete."

"Really, that's- _wow_!" Roman babbled, returning the charm to its place against his chest. He had spent his whole life searching for his destined-to-be, his one true love like in the fairy tales he craved to be apart of. Now he had found his one of his multiple Prince Charmings! Roman's mind reeled as he processed this.

"My name is Logan Belmont," the boy said after reattaching his charm to the chain around his ankle, an neutral expression on his face. He held out his hand in a formal manner.

"Roman Prince." Roman brought Logan's hands up to his lips and kissed it softly. Logan tried to hide the upward quirk of his lips and the red tint sprinkled across his cheekbones. Roman gestured dramatically to the chairs behind Logan's desk. "Our thrones await, my beloved."

Logan rolled his eyes, a gentle smile on his usually stoic face. He returned to his seat, taking out his book. Roman noisily scooted his chair closer, not-so-subtly slinging his left arm around the back of Logan's seat.

The only Belmont child just shook his head at his soulmate's antics, his dark eyes occasionally drifting from his book to the handsome face next to him.

 **0 ~ 0 ~ 0**

 _~Logicality~_

Patton quickly sank into his chair, dropping his bag on the ground at his feet. Their history teacher, Mr Campbell, had told them to quickly fill up the desks from the front. He stated that he didn't care what they did now as long as they weren't too rowdy and read the first chapter of their textbook (he would discuss it tomorrow).

Soft murmuring filled the classroom. Some students were already reading the chapter, others leaving it for homework. A girl in the back was scrolling on her phone underneath the desk, another guy in the corner was making paper planes.

Patton looked at the boy sitting next to him who was reading intently. Patton didn't fancy reading about deceased historians and took out a pad of paper from his bag. He rested his chin on his hand, peeping through his curly, light brown hair as he doodled little hearts.

Patton's thoughts were so occupied with his new soulmate, Virgil Foster's, captivating forest green eyes, his pencil slipped out of his hand and tumbled onto the floor, under his desk buddy's chair.

"Hey," Patton whispered with beaming baby blue eyes," My pencil rolled under your chair. Could you get it for me, please?"

The boy nodded and twisted to pick up his pencil. He readjusted his black rimmed glasses, similar to Patton's, and held it out to him.

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome."

Patton's gasp was loud enough to grasp the other male's attention. Patton's bracelet was beaming just as his smile was. Both boys took their charms off the silver chains and fitted them together, Logan's larger one over Patton's. After the glow of light, Logan's theory of multiple soulmates was confirmed. Two thirds of Logan's curved line was a dark blue and Patton's light blue. Patton didn't even bother to reattach his bracelet's charm, leaving on the desk as he embraced the other boy from the side, cuddling into the space between the other's neck and shoulder.

"This is wonderful, I have _another_ soulmate! I can't wait 'till I tell, Virge!" Patton loosened his grip slightly and smiled up at the flustered face of his soulmate. "My name's Patton!"

"L-Logan," he stuttered, nervous that Patton's face was so close to his. Patton retracted his arms and sat up in his seat, grinning at him. Logan cleared his throat. "I'm Logan Belmont."

The two returned their charms to their respective places, ignoring the looks some classmates were shooting them. Logan ran his hand through his raven hair. "You mentioned your- _our_ soulmate, Patton."

"Yup, Virgil Foster. I think you two will get along great, Lo, " Patton gushed. "I noticed that your charm was also a third away from complete. Whose our other soulmate? Are they male too?"

"Yes. His name is Roman Prince." Logan readjusted his glasses, thinking. The name Virgil sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place why. "He's quite... Endearing."

"I can't wait to meet him! I have cheerleading try-outs after school, so why don't we all meet up tomorrow morning before class starts."

"That would work. I have Roman's cellphone number. Could you contact Virgil to bring him up to date?"

"Okay!" Patton agreed. "I can't wait to tell Talyn and my parents. Joan and Thomas will be happy too!"

"Are these all your siblings?"

"Oh, no. Talyn is my non-binary sibling who is dating Joan Sanders, also non-binary. Thomas is Joan's brother. The Sanders are like my second family." Patton fiddled with the pencil in his hand. "Do you have any siblings?"

"I'm an only child."

The two shared more about themselves like their interests, hobbies, music and movie tastes, their favourite pizza toppings and their home lives. Logan shared a bit more than he intended and told Patton about how his two mom's were fighting and he worried they might divorce. Patton had squeezed his arm, reassuring him that things would eventually work out for the better and that nothing that happened was his fault.

Logan had left the classroom with a lighter heart than he had come with. He had grown familiar with the cold comfort of loneliness, mostly influenced by his stoic and hostile persona, but he felt full, completed. Almost. He still had to meet this Virgil properly, and the thought of having people by his side, loving him, was enough to lit up his face with a smile.

 **0 ~ 0 ~ 0**

 _~Prinxiety~_

Roman breathed in deeply. It was the last period of the day, the most important, according to him.

Their school had what they called an "activity period". Students used this time for certain cultural extra curriculars, like drama class or choir. If they weren't apart of these classes, they did their homework in their register classes.

It was Roman's turn now. The drama club was doing a fun little exercise to practise their acting and singing voices. It also allowed everyone to be more comfortable and familiar around one another.

They had to pick a song, make up a scenario accordingly and preform it on stage. It was more goofing around than anything else and people seemed to enjoy it.

Roman had put on the heeled boots, red jacket and boa, as well as tacky sunglasses he had scavenged from their props, purposefully marching up the stage.

Placing his hand on his hip, microphone in his other, he announced, "This is song about a rising pop star who is gaining a lot of confidence as they bask in their fame, but at the end, realises all the pressure might get to them, causing them to burn out. "

Their "technical manager" started the song's instrumentals and Roman began singing as he moved over the stage.

 _"I can't help it if I make a scene,_

 _Stepping out of my hot pink limousine."_

He stepped forward and did a graceful spin.

 _"I'm turning heads and I'm stopping traffic,_

 _When I pose, they scream,_

 _And when I joke, they laugh."_

Roman mimicked the lyrics and rested his sunglasses on top of his head.

 _"I've got a pair of eyes that they're getting lost in,_

 _They're hypnotized by my way of walking."_

He strutted to the middle of the stage. Someone cat whistled and Roman laughed inwardly.

 _"I've got them dazzled like a stage magician,_

 _When I point, they look,_

 _And when I talk, they listen."_

Roman leant forward, gesturing to the audience.

 _"Well, everybody needs a friend,_

 _And I've got you, and you, and you!_

 _So many I can't even name them!_

 _Can you blame me? I'm too famous!"_

He tossed the one end of his red boa over his shoulder dramatically.

 _"Haven't you noticed that I'm a star?_

 _I'm coming into view as the world is turning,_

 _Haven't you noticed I've made it this far?"_

Roman slowly sank to his knees, as if defeated.

 _"Now everyone can see me burning,_

 _Now everyone can see me burning,_

 _Now everyone can see me burning."_

The students and teacher applauded him as he sauntered off stage, returning the props. Roman thanked them and strolled over to the boy who was their techie, as they called him. The boy was the one who was in charge of getting the instrumentals of their requested songs at the moment, but he had a much bigger role in the drama club.

"Hey there. Do you have the instrumental of _Everybody Loves Me_ by _One Republic_?" Roman asked the boy who was scrolling down the playlist of requested songs. Some of the students wanted to preform songs in groups, so it was only two songs before Roman could preform again.

The boy nodded, his dark hair falling into his green eyes. "I'll check."

Roman goggled at his glowing necklace as the other boy touched his shining earring in amazement. People could go decades without ever meeting their one soulmate, yet he found _two_ of his in a _single_ day.

The boy took of his earring and handed it to Roman. Both the charms were thick, curved lines, one third coloured. Roman noted that the boy's charm was far smaller than his, it clearly wouldn't fit, but as he put it together, the charms shone and two thirds turned colourful.

"I believe your charm didn't fit because our other soulmates' charms are suppose to come above yours," Roman stated, handing the boy's charm back to him.

"So we have multiple soulmates? That explains things," the boy remarked nervously. He wasn't used to the amount attention he was receiving. He fiddled with his sleeves. "My name is Virgil."

"Roman Prince. It's a pleasure to finally meet you," Roman grinned. "Your charm is two thirds purple, so you've met one of our soulmates."

"His name's Patton Parker. Have you met?"

"No, but I did meet Logan Belmont, our other soulmate."

Virgil racked him brain for the name Logan Belmont. _Wasn't he that cold guy from Math?_

"Virgil, the next group is about to go up," a girl called. She was also a stage hand. Her eyes quickly flitted between the two boys and she smiled. "Actually, I'll handle the songs. Scoot over, you have business to handle."

Roman whispered his idea to the passing girl as she took Virgil's seat, to which she laughed and rolled her eyes. Roman slung his arm over Virgil's shoulders, guiding him towards the stage where the other students crowded.

"What did you just ask Khai?"

"Now that's a suprise, Hot Topic," Roman teased.

"Sure, Romano," Virgil said.

Roman made a face. "Don't make that a thing."

"How about Princey then?"

"I think that's quite fitting, my emo nightmare."

Virgil just rolled his eyes, watching the group of boys on stage preforming _Sincerely, Me_. Afterwards a group of girls jokingly preformed _Single Ladies_ and then it was Roman's turn. Roman plucked a fake, red rose from the prop table.

"This song is about starstruck boy, head over heels for his soulmates."

The notes of _Can't Help Falling In Love_ drifted through the air and Roman's rich voice followed. He swayed with the music and the students sang along. Roman winked at Virgil and tossed him his rose, still singing. Virgil held it close to his chest, blushing at the other's whistles.

Roman finished his song, gave a bow and drifted over to Virgil, pulling him into a hug. The students applauded Roman's preformance, one guy yelling, "Yeah, go get some!"

Virgil just half heartedly glared at the boy, snuggling further into Roman's chest.

 **0 ~ 0 ~ 0**

 _~Royality~_

Patton dropped his bag next to the bleachers, fluttering to the middle of the gym hall with the rest of the cheerleaders. There was still 20 minutes before the official practise started, but everyone was already warming up and stretching.

There were about 14 students present, four male (Patton included). Two of the guys were competing to see who could raise a girl the highest.

"Hey, Patton!" A girl from his class, Yui Suzuki, waved him over. "Over here!"

"Hey, Yui." Patton smiled at the tiny, dark haired girl. "It's good to see you. At least I have one familiar face around here."

"Yeah. I didn't know you wanted to be a cheerleader."

"I like keeping people's morale up. I originally wanted to be a flyer, but since I'm male, they'll most likely put me as a base."

"That sucks," Yui sympathised. "I was thinking of becoming a flyer as well. I'm small and flexible enough for it."

"Oh yeah?"

Yui smirked. She did a short jog before doing a front flip, her hands briefly touching the floor, and landed gracefully into a split. After victoriously sticking her hands in the air, she smugly drifted back to Patton and raised an eyebrow.

"And what about you? Think you can top that?"

Patton grinned and moved to the side of the gym hall for more space. He had done gymnastics since he was a child and would have no trouble with cheerleading stunts. Patton ran a stretch and jumped, twisting in midair, and did a series of backflips, afterwards lading firmly on his feet. Yui cheered as Patton bowed.

"Woah, that was an impressive _Round Off Back Handspring Layout_ ," a guy nearby praised.

"Thank you! And that was quite a mouthful," Patton chuckled.

Patton's eyes widened as the guy's necklace glowed a white light and looked down to see his bracelet doing the same.

"Roman?"

"Patton?"

"You know who I am?"

"Virgil told me about you when we met in the Drama Club," Roman supplied. "How do you know me?"

"Logan told me about you in History class." Patton stepped closer, saying cheerfully, "I'm having quite the eventful day, meeting all my soulmates one after the other."

Roman swept Patton off his feet, holding him like a groom carrying a bride, making Patton blush.

"Roman!" Patton giggled, tightening his hold.

"Ah, my angel, it has been such a fortunate day, being able to meet you and our other lovers." Roman gave Patton a soft kiss on the forehead. Baby blue eyes twinkled at the prince with adoration. "Fate and Lady Luck are truly on our side."

Roman set Patton down on the ground. Both removed their charms and tried to fit them together (as Patton's was too small). The charms shone and were finally completed. Roman's a brilliant red, like rubies sparkling in the sunlight, and Patton's a soft blue, like the sky on a clear sunny day.

"Well, you seem to be having a great time," Yui, who had suddenly appeared, remarked. She turned to Roman. "Make sure you treat Patton like royalty."

"Not to worry, my lady," Roman said to Yui, a hand over his heart. "I will protect and cherish him like a knight does his prince."

"You better, or all his loving fans will hunt you down."

"I don't have fans, Yui." Patton linked his arm with Roman's. "Besides, all the love I need is from my soulmates."

"I should hope so, my angel. But if needed, it's my duty to defend your honour if someone wishes to steal your heart."

"You'll always be my Prince Charming, Ro."

Roman kissed Patton's temple, smiling to himself.

 **0 ~ 0 ~ 0**

Virgil rushed through the gates like hellhounds were nipping at his heels.

"Virge, slow down. Your soulmates aren't going to dissappear into thin air," Damain jested.

Virgil had been suprised at how well his family had taken the news of his three, male soulmates. Maybe they admitted that soulmate magic was a sacred and cherished force or they saw how happy the news made Virgil.

"I know, I just can't help it. It's as if something is pulling me to them."

"I get it," Damain shrugged, fiddling with his necklace. The older brother had yet to find his soulmate and Virgil was reminded at how lucky he was.

"Don't worry, you'll find your soulmate one day," Virgil reassured. "I'll see you later."

"Bye, Virge."

Virgil looked for the big tree near the benches where Patton had told him to meet. He spotted it and rushed over. Patton was already there, talking with a boy who Virgil assumed was Logan. Virgil was so occupied with his thoughts and the fact that both boys were now looking at him, Logan with recognition and Patton with adoration, he didn't notice the tree root at his feet.

He tripped and crashed into Logan's chest, making him drop his book.

"Oh hell, I'm so, _so_ sorry!" Virgil went to pick up the book, but Logan only hugged him tighter. The nervous boy was confused, he expected Logan to be annoyed with his clumsiness.

"I apologise to you, Virgil," Logan murmured into Virgil's ear, his breath tickling Virgil's neck. "If not for my rudeness, we would have realised we're soulmates sooner."

"It's okay, really," Virgil muttered, snaking his arms around Logan's neck. Virgil awkwardly made eye contact with Patton who just silently grinned at the display.

The two quickly completed their soulmate charms, now entirely colourful, and the three lovers settled themselves on a patch of grass in the shade of a tree. Roman would soon join them on this patch of grass in the shade. It took some uncomfortable shuffling and tangled limbs, but they managed to find a comfortable position.

Roman Prince- the tallest, copper haired and stormy blue eyed boy with a taste for fairy tales and preforming- was squashed right in the middle, resting against the ruff bark of the tree as he formed pictures of the clouds.

He held hands with his soulmate on his left, Patton Parker- the third tallest, freckled, curly, light brown haired and baby blue eyed boy with a heart of gold- who chatted away contently, a grin permanently on his face.

Logan Belmont- the second tallest, raven haired and dark eyed boy with a sharp mind and tongue- was nestled on Roman's right, who had on arm slung around his shoulders. He melted into the pages of his book, only occasionally looking up to add to the conversation.

Lastly was Virgil Foster- the shortest, dark green eyed boy with a stripe of purple through his black hair- who was leaning back on Roman's bent knees, blasting music through his black headphones.

"You know, guys," Virgil started, removing his headphones, "I don't know what our soulmate charms form together. It's not a circle like I originally thought."

"One way to find out," Patton quipped.

They all removed their charms and figured out how it fit together. Roman's biggest, red charm was at the top, followed by Logan's dark blue one. Patton's light blue charm was underneath Logan's and Virgil's smallest, purple charm was at the bottom. Virgil snorted.

"It makes a bloody rainbow."

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 **Total length: 4809 words.**

 **I hoped you enjoyed and feel free to comment and tell me what your favourite part was.** **Next up is the requested Superhero AU.**


	11. 10 RQ: ANALOGINCE (SUPERHERO AU)

**Superhero AU requested by Alice Forshadow**

 **Analogince (Virgil x Logan x Roman) requested by 0Zz0Zz0.**

 **All requests will be done in my Requested One-shots Book as of now.**

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Logan snuggled into his navy pillow, his arms folded underneath his head. An opened book laid across his stomach. If he shut his eyes and focused his hearing hard enough, he could hear the strums of an acoustic guitar and the voice of his neighbour.

He breathed in deeply, letting everything soak in. Feeling unwanted emotions rise up again, Logan sat up in his rumpled bed and gripped the black duvet in his fists.

He could recall the first time he met his neighbour _exactly_.

Logan had come back to his and Virgil's apartment in the early hours of the morning after he performed his scheduled operation. Virgil was already asleep when he returned and left for his shift before Logan had woken up.

Logan had tried to ignore the sounds at first, burrowing his face further into his pillow. Passing cars, jingling keys, creaky doors could easily be ignored.

Furniture being moved and shuffled around, voices speaking and laughing were a bit harder. Logan had merely scrunched his eyebrows together, annoyed, pulling the duvet over his head.

When the people got louder and louder and louder, Logan had squeezed his eyes closed tighter and tighter and tighter, telling himself the noise would pass and he could finally rest.

His sleep-deprived mind had eventually lost its temper when the shattering sound of glass being broken pierced his ears just as he was drifting off. It had been as if the heat from the flames of hell was pumping through his veins like blood. Tearing the duvet off him, Logan had blearily slammed his glasses onto his face and stomped out of his room.

The slam of his apartment door had accompanied the slap of his feet on the dusty hallway tiles as Logan charged at his neighbour. He had never stopped to take in the box of fractured ornaments dropped on the ground, nor the scarlet blood dripping from his neighbour's palm, nor the people loading off furniture from a humming truck, nor that he had kicked over a box with a loud crack while rampaging.

Logan, dressed only in loose flannel pyjama bottoms, his glasses crookedly hanging off his nose, his raven hair sticking up in odd places and dried drool plastered to the corner of his mouth, had noticed none of this. He had just yelled, his eyes blazing with fury.

"WHO WITH EVEN THE TINIEST BIT OF SANITY DECIDES TO MOVE IN AT THE ASS CRACK OF DAWN? I GOT INTO BED AT 2 BLOODY AM IN THE MORNING BECAUSE I HAD TO DO A COMPLICATED SURGERY! AND I EXPECTED TO SLEEP IN ON A SUNDAY MORNING, YET HERE YOU ARE! IF I WANTED A RUCKUS, I WOULD HAVE PULLED COOKY MRS COOPER'S MANGLED CAT'S TAIL! _SO IF YOU DON'T MIND, KEEP IT DOWN!_ "

The last part had come out like a hiss between his teeth. He had swirled around and his body seemed to seethe in anger, the coldness of mornings stinging his bare feet as he stomped back into his apartment. The door had shut with a bang. Sagging back into his comforting bed, Logan felt his anger drain out of him as he shut his eyes once again, giving in to his exhaustion.

Many hours later, his consciousness had resurfaced. Feeling well rested, Logan had taken a shower and gotten dressed. He had been halfway through eating his late breakfast when Virgil had returned home.

Logan had told Virgil what had transpired only after they both were settled on the couch with a steaming cup of coffee. Virgil had found it very amusing and while he agreed it was stupid to move into an apartment building at 6 am on a Sunday morning, he told Logan that his behaviour was rude and he had to apologize.

Logan hadn't liked that much at the time and had stared at his childhood best friend sullenly.

Logan snorted, imagining how he must have looked as he stormed out into the hallway that day. He had taken Virgil's advice, whether that was a wise choice he hadn't decided.

Feeling too embarrassed about his behaviour, Logan had slipped a scribbled note under his neighbour's door. He had introduced himself and invited his neighbour to a cup of coffee at Papa Patton's Café to make up for everything.

His neighbour accepted and they soon found themselves awkwardly seated at a cosy table, staring into their mugs. His neighbour, Roman Prince, hadn't quite figured out what to make of him yet. Virgil, who was a waiter at the café, was serving them.

After sensing the tension the air, Virgil introduced himself as Logan's best friend/flatmate and took their order. Before leaving, he made a sly comment about Logan having AB type blood and it being best to avoid him in the morning.

Logan had shot him a glare and had fought off the urge to dunk his coffee over Virgil's head, but Roman had laughed and winked at him.

Logan rubbed his eyes, frustrated. He had never been good at emotions, but he wasn't completely stupid. He knew he developed a crush on Roman.

Which would be perfectly fine under normal circumstances. They could go on a date or two, get to know each other better.

But he had feelings for a man known only as Crimson King, his fellow superhero, too. He was annoying at times but in a charming sort of way. Extravagant and dramatic, he tried so hard to please and amuse the people him. Sometimes Logan thought he was funny, but he'd never say it out loud.

Logan heard the jingle of keys at the door and stood to go greet his flatmate.

 **0 - 0 - 0**

Virgil stretched tiredly, stepping out of the café, box of baked treats tucked under his arm.

He usually worked the morning shifts at Papa Patton's Café. It was this quaint little place nestled in the quiet side of town, specializing in both coffee and baked sweets.

One of his fellow waiters was sick and the owner, Patton Parker, had asked him to stand in. Virgil could use the extra money, so he agreed, and Patton even gave him a box of baked treats, free of charge.

Virgil quickly made his way to the apartments where he lived, close nearby the café. Almost crawling up the stairs, he reached his floor and trudged down the hall. Hearing the strum of an acoustic guitar accompanied by the melodic voice of his neighbour, Virgil stopped to listen through the thin walls.

Roman Prince, his neighbour. Virgil knew he was a music therapist with a love of theatre. He liked to swing by the café in the early mornings, always ordering a strong coffee with a bagel.

Roman had a usual spot in the corner, right by the street window, which Virgil always happened to be serving. He was charming, flirtatious and Virgil couldn't help but swoon a bit.

Shaking his head, Virgil took out his keys and unlocked the door. It was just a little crush, he would get over it. He placed the box on the kitchen table.

"Hello, Virgil."

Virgil's heart beat a little faster. "Hi, Lo."

Logan sat on one of the stools. "What's in the box?"

"Patton gave me a box of pastries for standing in."

"That was nice of him."

Virgil sat on a stool next to him. "Yeah. Did your surgery go well?"

"It was successful."

Virgil inspected Logan. Logan was the youngest son in a family line of surgeons and the pressure of being better than those before him was a responsibility Virgil wished he didn't have to carry. It clearly weighed on his conscious, if the bags under his friend's eyes were anything to go by.

Virgil pushed the box towards Logan. "I'm just gonna change into something more comfortable."

When Virgil returned in a baggy hoodie and sweatpants, Logan was biting into a sweet cream-filled pastry. Grabbing one for himself, he settled onto the couch with his laptop resting on his knees.

Staring at the screen for a few seconds, his hands flew across the keys. Virgil was an amateur writer trying to self publish when he wasn't waiting on tables. After experimenting with different styles and genre's, he came to like horror the best.

Logan joined him soon after with a book in hand. "What scene are you writing now?"

"Amelia's death scene." Virgil knew he shouldn't be flustered that Logan sat so close to him, their shoulders brushing. They were childhood best friends!

"I thought she lived afterwards?"

"That's what I planned, but I guess sometimes the story just writes itself."

They spent the next few minutes in silence, Logan reading his book and Virgil typing on his keyboard. Logan yawned and his head dropped onto Virgil's shoulder, making the nervous man blush. He tried to tell himself that it was just a friendly gesture, nothing more. Logan was too invested in his book to notice.

Virgil had been at his side for as long as he could remember. He was about the only person Logan felt completely comfortable around. If Logan were to ponder his feelings, he'd realize that he loved Virgil. But he didn't.

When Logan finished his book, he looked up at his companion. He started to inquire if Virgil felt ill (his face was burning at that point), but his friend only closed his laptop and said he was going to bed.

Logan felt a bit dejected and soon crawled into his own bed, his confusing mixture of feelings not far from his mind.

 **0 - 0 - 0**

Roman strummed his guitar absentmindedly. He had a free weekend and never did he think he'd spend all of it thinking about other men.

He wished that love was as uncomplicated as it was in fairy tales. Two people, fated to meet and fall in love. Definitely no love triangles. Or love pentagons.

Roman sighed and went down his list of crushes again.

Logan Belmont, the stoic surgeon next door. Logical and serious, prideful and intelligent. Made puns unaware of doing so. Enjoyed friendly debating. Had fantastically styled black hair.

Virgil Foster, his awkward neighbour. Waited tables at the nearby café and wrote in his spare time. Easily flustered and had a sarcastic side. Loved alternative music. Had mesmerizing green eyes.

Doctor Dynasty, a fellow superhero. Cunning. Analytical. Intense black eyes. Tried to act broody and hide his smile at Roman's jokes.

Shadow, another superhero. Always putting the civilians before himself. Quick reflexes. Adorable dimples.

Roman ran his hand through his dark brown hair. If his emotional turmoil wasn't enough, the city had been awfully quiet lately. He went to sleep and tried to shake it off, but the next morning it still drifted through his mind.

Something was brewing and Roman didn't like it one bit.

 **0 - 0 - 0**

The man shifted out of the dark alleyway, looking at his watch. 17:20. Most would be returning home from work. The best time to attract attention.

He spotted a homeless man slugging down the street. He slid over to the man, grabbing him by the elbow. His peculiar violet eyes stared into the homeless man's. When the victim's eyes turned into an astonishing purple, the man let go of his arm. The homeless man picked up a stray, rusty pipe and walked on.

The mysterious man did the same with the passing woman talking on her phone. Her eyes turned yellow and she dropped her phone and bag on the ground. The homeless man had already hypnotized two other people, per the mysterious man's silent instructions.

The homeless man marched down the road, coming to a stop in front of a clothing store. He stared at his reflection in the display window. Lifting the rusty pipe he picked up, he swung it with all his might. The glass cracked as each swung hit home.

The hypnotised woman stood outside the shop door, waiting. As one of the customers, a teenager, ran out, she grabbed her shoulder, staring deeply into her eyes. The teenager relaxed, her face showing no emotion. She turned around and marched, almost robotically, into the middle of the street near the corner.

She stood still like a statue, her loose hair blowing in the breeze. Not one muscle moved as a large truck sped down the road, nearing the corner. As the truck was an inch away from her face, she was lurched out of the way onto the sidewalk.

"Kiddo, you need to be more careful!" The superhero man, dressed in a light blue super suit, quickly scanned for injuries.

Even though the girl was dazed and hypnotised, she still recognised the symbol on the back of the superhero's grey cape. A white heart with a caduceus in the centre.

"Star Sentinel?" The girl mumbled as the superhero held his hands above her scraped knee. His palms glowed pure white light and her injury quickly knit together.

The superhero helped the girl up and guided her into the empty mattress store, whose occupants had fled with the commotion. He set her down on one of the beds and her eyes closed. "Stay safe, Kiddo."

He rushed out of the store to see one of his fellow heroes dragging two civilians, a homeless man and businesswoman, with him. "Star, a little assistance would be appreciated!"

"Oh, right!" He ran over to Doctor Dynasty and heaved the dazed homeless citizen over his shoulder. "Do have any idea of what's going on?"

"I think," Doctor Dynasty stepped in and dropped the dozing woman onto a bed, "that they may have been hypnotised. They seemed quite robotic before I stopped them, but as soon as I did they became very dazed."

Star Sentinel nodded. "I haven't seen King or Shadow anywhere. I'll try to reach them."

"I'll check the perimeter."

Star Sentinel closed his eyes and felt the familiar tug as he mentally reached out to Crimson King.

 _King, can you hear me?_

 _Loud and clear, Star. I just had to grab a guy from jumping off a rooftop! What's happening?_

 _Looks like someone's hypnotising civilians. Doctor and I are at the mattress store on the corner of Lamapass Street._

 _I'll be there._

Star Sentinel let go of his connection and searched for his last comrade. He felt the tug and formed a connection.

 _Shadow? Can you hear me?_

 _Star! I'm at the alley in Audrey Lane. Hurry!_

 _On it!_

Star Sentinel cut off the connection and rushed out the store. He saw Doctor Dynasty running next to stallion carrying an unconscious man. The horse reached the store and morphed back into a man dressed in a crimson suit.

"Shadow needs help! King, drop the man on one of the beds and follow me."

"Aye-aye, Mr Leader."

Crimson King left the man with the other civilians and followed Star Sentinel and Doctor Dynasty to where Shadow was.

 **0 - 0 - 0**

Virgil walked down the road, rubbing his shoulders. He just finished his late shift and wanted nothing more to curl up in bed with his laptop. He rounded the corner and was met with a swarm of people charging down the street.

"Run!" A civilian yelled at him, storming past.

Virgil stared past at the surrounding buildings. Certain parts appeared as if they were melting. He quickly ducked into a long alleyway, checking for civilians.

Certain it was empty, Virgil snatched a little gadget that looked like a coin and pressed it on his chest. Strands of black and purple spat out and covered Virgil until he was dressed in his full superhero suit. A handy gadget he and his comrades designed.

Virgil, now Shadow, pounded down the street, jumping over a puddle of acid. He felt the familiar prickle of a warning across his skin and quickly let his power of invisibility coat him.

Along with invisibility, Shadow had a power called Danger Warning that alerted him if there was a threat. Unfortunately, it was completely vague.

Shadow scanned around him and noticed the culprit. The villain was seemingly covered in yellowish scales and his jaw was unnaturally wide open. His throat made a gurgling sounds before a puddle of hissing acid spat out of his mouth.

Ah, that's why the buildings were melting. He hasn't noticed me yet. I can handle this.

Shadow quietly skirted to behind the villain. If he punched him, the villain wouldn't be knocked out and would know of his presence. If he tried to trap him in a choke hold, the villain's acid would burn him.

He could try to smother him with the plastic trash bags, but it could easily be ripped or burned with his acid and it might do more than make him unconscious.

The best choice of action would be to detain him, but there was nothing to bind with. Shadow would just have to get a well-placed hit to the head on the guy. He spied the lid of a metal trashcan and inched closer to it.

Shadow's fingers had barely brushed it when the prickle of his Danger Warning danced across his skin. The villain stiffened and whirled around, a steady stream of acid gushing out of his mouth.

Shadow threw up the metal lid as a shield, ducking to the side. His invisibility faltered and he cursed internally. He stared into the man's abnormal purple eyes. No use hiding now. He rolled to the side to avoid another spurt of acid when he heard a voice inside his head.

 _Shadow? Can you hear me?_

Shadow threw a trash bag at the villain to counter the cascade of acid.

 _Star! I'm at the alley in Audrey Lane. Hurry!_

His comrades were much better at physical combat than he was. Shadow was mostly used as a lookout or fleet sneak attack before the final blow. He dodged to the side and lunged at the man. The villain's back hit the cobblestone wall forcibly and Shadow jabbed his forearm against the villain's neck, forcing his chin up.

Shadow clapped the villain's mouth closed to prevent acid from gushing out, his other hand reaching for the man's arms. He managed to grab the man's right arm, but the villain's left fist pounded into his temple before he could snatch it.

Shadow stumbled and jumped to avoid thestream of acid hurled at him. The acid grazed his shoulder and he hissed in pain.

He heard the thumping of feet and watched as Crimson King, in the form of a falcon, clawed at the villain's face. Doctor Dynasty, with superior precision and power, hurled a harmless pebble at the man's stomach. The villain bent over as if he was hit very harshly, curling his arms around his stomach.

King speedily transformed from a falcon into an anaconda and wrapped tightly around the villain's body, constricting his arms and legs while threateningly nudging the villain's jaw closed with its snout.

"Hey, Kiddo, let me heal that up for you." Star Sentinel hovered his glowing palms above Shadow's burning shoulder. He winced as his injuryslowly knit itself together.

"Thanks," Shadow mumbled and walked over to the villain who was squirming on the littered road. He sat on his hunches to look into the man's eyes.

He was surprised to see that the villain's eyes were no longer an unnatural purple, but a yellowish green.

"Look, I'll make this easy to understand. There is an anaconda wrapped you that can crush your ribcage if you try anything. Now, tell me, what's your name?"

The man stared at him dazedly, not answering. Shadow sighed and scooted over when Doctor Dynasty took his place.

"King, release your hold a bit, he looks too confused to even know what's happening." The snake flicked his tongue and loosened his grip. "Hey, hey, look at me," the superhero ordered, snapping his fingers in front of the man's eyes.

Doctor Dynasty's dark eyes were so demanding that the villain's gaze focussed instantly. "Wha- where? Who are you?"

"More importantly, who are you? Why did you attack the town?"

"I- I attacked the town?" He looked around as if noticing his surroundings for the first time. "I don't remember. When did this happen?"

Doctor Dynasty stood up and turned to his comrades. "King, you can release the boy now. He's a victim, just like the other hypnotised citizens."

Shadow rubbed his neck. "That makes sense. His eyes were a weird purple before, but nowthey aren't."

Crimson King, morphed back into a human, helped the confused man up. "If he's just another victim, who's the mastermind behind it? And why would he use a high school boy as a pawn?"

Looking at the supposed villain now, he did seem remarkably young. The superheroes argued on what to do until the boy rubbed his temples and looked up tiredly.

"I remember a bit more now. He calls himself the Puppet Master. I was outside one night and it was pitch black, I didn't think anyone would see me, I swear. It just felt good to use my powers, to not hide parts of myself from anyone.

"And then he just appeared. He said that if I didn't do what he said, he'd expose me. I was terrified, so I followed him like he asked. He took a bunch of pictures and asked for things like my full name and what high school I went to.

"I don't remember what was after that, he must have hypnotised me then."

"I see. And what is your name, Kiddo?"

"Damian."

"Please tell me you remember where his house is, Damian."

The boy bit his cheek. "I do."

 **0 - 0 - 0**

The group moved swiftly down the road, Damian nervously wringing his hands together. "What will happen to me?"

"What do you mean, Kiddo?"

Damian blew out a breath. "I caused so much damage. Am I going to jail?"

"Objectively, you caused the damage, so you are the one responsible. You being hypnotised complicates the matter though," Doctor Dynasty commented.

"What Mr Serious means, young one," Crimson King added with a hand on Damian's shoulder," is that we'll just pin all the blame on this Puppet Master and you'll be off scot-free!"

Damian smiled at the man's smirk before coming to a stop and pointed at a mouldy house across the street. "That's his house. Be careful though, he can hypnotise you if you look into his eyes long enough."

"Stay safe, kid," Shadow said, slapping on the back.

"And don't use your powers so openly next time, boy. If you wish to use your superpowers, become a hero when you're older."

"Ah, yes, sir."

Damian scattered home and the four superheroes looked back at the house.

"Anything tickling your senses, O' Dark One?"

"King, almost everything sets off my Danger Warning, especially in this shady area."

Star turned to Doctor Dynasty. "D'you see anything?"

The dark eyes filled to brim with cold, calculated intelligence flickered to his comrade. "It's much too dark. We can't use Shadow's invisibility to spy as there's no way he can approach the house's windows without casting an obvious shadow.

"Even with the darkness as cover, four men dressed in bright costumes huddled in the street are very hard to miss. The best option is for King to morph into a small animal and find a sneaky way in while us three enter from the front. "

"Even though it's obviously a trap?"

"You have any brilliant ideas, Shadow?"

Crimson King clapped his hands. "What Doc wants, Doc gets. See you handsome gents on the other side." He winked, morphed into a mouse and scurried away.

"Do the two of you have anything that can possibly be used as a weapon?"

Star and Shadow rummaged through their pockets. Shadow pulled out a pen which he used to scribble down ideas when inspiration struck. Doctor Dynasty plucked it from his fingers and walked down the street, hiding it in his sleeve.

"How can a pen be used as a weapon?"

"Darling, anything is a weapon if you know how to use it."

The three heroes stopped at the front door. Post overflowed from the mailbox onto the doormat that read Go Away. With a complicated and impressive process that neither Shadow or Star understood, Doctor had picked the lock.

They entered the house, dust rising with their steps. It was deadly silent. Shadow felt a prickle run across his skin.

Before a syllable left his lips, Shadow was surrounded with a hazy blur. A second later the three heroes were sitting tied up on the dusty wooden floor, at the feet of a young man with shining purple eyes. The man held a squirming mouse in his fist.

The heroes were planning to ask him if he was the Puppet Master when the man stepped aside, and a second man appeared. The second man was dressed in what could be described as rags spotted with coffee stains, drool and unrecognisable substances.

He looked less like a homeless man with a haggard appearance and tired gaze, and more like a lunatic with big, sleep shot eyes and an oversized, unwashed shirt with countless holes.

"Ah, you're here! My little trap was a smart move, wasn't it? Certainly one for the books!" The man's yellow teethed smile reminded them of the wide, ruby grins painted onto clowns at circusesthey visited as children.

"Are you the Puppet Master?" Star Sentinel asked, wrinkling his nose at the man's foul breath.

"That's my one name, yes." The man smiled cruelly. "And I know who the four of you are. Star Sentinel, Doctor Dynasty, Shadow and Crimson King!"

The Puppet Master booped each of them on the nose as he named them. "I know a lot about you four. Everything except your real identities."

The man's voice didn't seem any less chipper than before as he said that chilling line. "You see, I used to be a journalist. An _exceptional_ journalist. I was always the first to release breaking news."

The man disappeared into the darkness of the house, still talking. "I used to go out as the Puppet Master, cause a bit of damage and return home to write about it. Who's a better source than the man who actually did it?"

The man returned, dragging a camera stand behind him. "But then bigger, worse villains appeared. And so did you four, always succeeding in taking them down. No one cared about the little Puppet Master anymore."

They could see the man's purple eyes shining through the darkness. His voice was bitter as he fiddled with the legs of the stand.

"It didn't stop me from writing about the Puppet Master, but my boss had enough. With the damage repairs after the villains' rampage, and my unwillingness to write about another topic, he thought it best to let me go."

"That's why you hypnotised a high school student? Made people your pawns and almost got several killed? For a bloody ARTICLE?" Shadow looked over at Doctor Dynasty, who's usual stoic fact was cracking with anger.

"You make it sound as if I manipulated all of them. No, no, not this one, " the Puppet Master said, gesturing with a dirty finger to the man holding King.

"All I did was mention that I knew his fiancé. Emile Picani, if memory serves correctly. Yes, a pleasant fellow. I said that he had quite the knack for finding himself in... _dangerous situations."_

The man released a cackle. "He was very compliant after that. He's been doing my dirty work for days."

Star Sentinel blinked rapidly and quickly opened a connection to his comrades' minds.

 _Kiddo's, I know Emile. In fact, I saw him personally right before Damian's attack. The man holding Roman is Remy, Emile talks about him often._

Shadow shifted as the man was finally satisfied with the stand's position. The dull moonlight glinted off the camera's lens.

 _I see, so the Puppet Master has been forcing Remy to do what he asks when he doesn't even have leverage._

 _Star, you must telepathically tell Remy of your findings. It might be enough to break the Puppet Master's hold._

Doctor Dynasty kept his eyes forward and shifted his wrists slowly. Tugging a bit here, twisting a bit there.

If he were any other man, there was no possibility that he could escape his bonds with only a pen. But he wasn't any other man and his superpower provided him with inhuman intelligence and skill.

His dark eyes glinted slightly. He could see the multiple possibilities play out in his mind, almost like a movie. What would be the best course of action?

He froze when the Puppet Master walked over to where they huddle and switched on a lamp. It blinded his sight momentarily and he blinked stars out of his eyes.

The Puppet Master snapped a photo with a little click. "There, a nice group photo."

Shadow almost laughed, as he expected that his eyes were closed when the picture was taken.

"Ugh, old thing," the Puppet Master frowned, hitting his camera with the heel of his hand.

Doctor Dynasty suspected that the Puppet Master planned to reveal their identities with photos as proof. He had to stop him before he took their masks off.

Doctor Dynasty quickly flickered his eyes to Star Sentinel. Star's face was blank, but he knew Star was concentrating on getting through to Remy.

The man in question's head was bent, his eyebrows furrowed. Remy's eyes were slowly resuming their previous colour and his grip on Crimson King was loosening.

With a final tug on his binds, Doctor Dynasty jumped forward, simultaneously wrapping his binds around the Puppet Master's wrists as he tackled him.

The Puppet Master yelled angrily, his camera slipping from his grasp. He wiggled his bound hands, yanking on the hero's mask.

The navy mask slipped off Doctor Dynasty's face. The Puppet Master tugged harshly on Doctor Dynasty's hair, trying to force his head up. If they made eye contact, he could hypnotise the hero.

Doctor Dynasty, knowing this, kept his eyes shut and instead yelled, "King!"

Crimson King, who had squeezed out of Remy's loosened grip, morphed from a mouse in a growling dog.

King lunged at the Puppet Master, biting into his shoulder. Doctor Dynasty ducked away as the large dog settled onto the villain's chest, his canines gleaming threateningly.

Doctor Dynasty speedily untied Star and Shadow's ropes, not sparing a glance to a dazed Remy.

"LOGAN?" Shadow gasped, taking in the man's messy black hair, sharp nose and obsidian eyes.

Logan's gaze focused on Virgil after making sure the Puppet Master was still securely caged under Crimson King.

He stepped forward and stared into Shadow's green eyes. He'd never noticed. "Virgil?"

"W-What's going on?"

Remy's question jolted them out of the moment. Logan quickly came to his senses. "Star, contact the police and tell them we caught the villain. King, keep the Puppet Master right where he is."

Logan crouched beside Remy and filled him in. Remy told them how the Puppet Master had approached him, knowing about his superpower.

The Puppet Master had threatened that he had a hold over Remy's fiance, Emile Picani. Remy was forced to comply. Upon hearing that Star had seen Emile, completely fine, Remy managed to break the Puppet Master's hold.

The police arrived and forced the blindfolded Puppet Master into the car. Logan, mask back on, informed them about what he had told them. Logan said that he believed the man to be Lucas Massey, as Logan remembered reading articles about the Puppet Master.

The four comrades sent Remy off with a pat on the back as the policemen disappeared down the filthy street. All loose ends were solved, except one.

Crimson King noticed how Shadow and Doctor Dynasty shared accidental glances before awkwardly blushing and looking away.

He sighed dramatically as they walked down the street, the moon hanging high in the sky. "You know, I don't think it's fair that only the two of you have revealed identities. What do you say, Star?"

The two nodded at each other and pulled off their masks.

"ROMAN?"

"PATTON?"

"Well, duh, Kiddos. It was oblivious who we all were."

"Well, of course it's me, my lovies."

The four superheroes stood there, staring at each other, not uttering a word. An idea blinked into Patton's mind.

"Anyone feel like a cup of coffee?"

0 - 0 - 0

Patton stood at the coffee maker, drumming his fingers on the counter. They had all changed back into normal clothing through their special gadgets and the other three were seated at one of the tables in the corner.

Patton didn't miss their rosy cheeks, their shy glances and stammered sentences. They all liked one another. He just had to get them together.

With four steaming cups, Patton walked to the group deep in discussion.

"Wait, you had me attack the Puppet Master without knowing if his powers would work on animals or not?" Roman asked in disbelief.

"I had no chance to find out beforehand. It was a 50/50 situation- you were hypnotised or you weren't," Logan said, sipping the coffee Patton had placed before him. "Thank you, Patton."

"You are doing heaven's work, my good man."

"Thanks, Patton."

Patton lifted the cup to his lips, took a sip and put it down, his fingers gliding over the smooth ceramic. "So, what now?

"We continue kicking ass, of course!"

Patton shook his head. "No, Roman, that's not what I mean."

"Our dynamic has changed now that we know who the others are," Virgil remarked.

"Well, yeah, but I didn't want it to go back to before. I like seeing your handsome faces without masks." Roman winked at Virgil and Logan.

His crush list had halved in the past few hours and he felt a tiny relief. The turmoil was still there- he'd eventually have to choose one of them.

Unless he didn't.

Roman was so in thought, he almost missed Patton's words.

"You know, Kiddos. This is a problem. The three of you clearly like each other, but none of you are admitting it!"

Logan put down his mug. "Patton, what does this have to do with our teamwork?"

Virgil mind buzzed. _He's not denying liking me- us!_

"How can the three of you communicate with all of these feelings between you?" Patton stood up, shuffling away.

"Have fun sorting it out. But not too much fun!" Patton fingergunned as he left and immediately looked like he regretted it.

The three shook their heads before turning to look at each other. How did one bring up a topic like this? Virgil's mouth felt dry and Logan had trouble collecting his thoughts.

Roman decided that he would be the one to speak up. "Look, I'm going to be bluntly honest right now. I like you, both of you, a lot. I crushed on both your normal and Superhero aliases."

"Same."

"These feelings are mutual."

Roman nodded. "And I know it's very conflicting. We don't know who to choose or how to feel."

Virgil bit the inside of his cheek. Logan was his childhood friend and Virgil felt content around him, but he couldn't deny his feelings for Roman any longer. Virgil was sure that Logan felt the same.

"What do you propose we do then?" Logan asked. "How do we choose?"

Roman sucked in a breath. "We don't."

Virgil shot Roman a confused look as Logan stared into his mug.

"Are you suggesting we just stay in limbo?" Logan asked. "Or are you saying that we don't pick sides and all be in a relationship."

"I'm talking about polyamory." Roman gave them a smile he hoped was charming and didn't reveal his nerves. He prayed that their reaction was positive.

It was silent for a few seconds. "I'm in if you are," Virgil said, looking at Logan.

Logan lifted his mug to his lips, swallowing in big gulps. The other two waited in anticipation. Logan put down his mug and spoke.

"Let's try."

Roman gleamed and took each of their hands in his. They interlaced fingers and Logan slung an arm over Virgil who was sitting next to him.

Roman turned serious. "Does this mean that Crimson King, Doctor Dynasty and Shadow are in a relationship too?"

"I don't see why not," Virgil said.

Roman got a large grin on his face. "The fangirls are going to freak!"

"Definitely my OTP," Virgil remarked.

The two burst into laughter and Logan sighed.

 _What will I do with these two idiots?_

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 **Total: 6115 words**

 **Damn, this took forever. I hoped you liked it. I'm thinking of making Archive of Our Own my primary website...**


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